The Christmas spirit has hit the Torres House!!

We crossed off several things from our to-do list. 

Here is what the first few weeks of December looked like for us:

We started off the month with Josh and Sarah's Wedding. It was an evening winter wedding so Lindsey and Tim took Nathan for the day and headed up north for an amazing Christmas show.

Kaylee took a picture with her "fake" people at Old Navy, the kids took their first Santa picture, Nate took some goofy pictures doing what he does best....being goofy, we had our family Christmas movie night, then the kids passed out, Nathan and I went through the car wash and then the kids messed up the entire house during a crazy rain storm.

Nathan played around with Isaiah's shoes while he put up the Christmas lights. Then Isaiah went to the church to help set up for the Ward Christmas Party. All the men where there until midnight making snowflakes. He came home to Kaylee and I passed out in bed. 

The girls sat on the sidelines for Stroller Strides glued to their electronics.

The kids went through Costco in the back of the cart and Nathan passed out 10 minutes into our Christmas light adventure. The next day was Brayden's 6th Birthday Party.

I took a picture of our office at Pipers Playground. It's filled with kid stuff, not mom stuff. Nathan found a long lost binky before passing out on Isaiah. 

We hosted Gingerfest 2012 this year. We added Jasmine and TJ to the craziness and they fit right in with an icing fight.....oh newly weds.....so innocent and adorable..... :)

 I worked on Nathan's party decorations until the wee hours of the night.

Our play structure went up!!! This is where I {we} have been spending most of my {our} days.

 The cafe is coming together and our Grand Opening is right around the corner....

Lindsey hosted cookie decorating this year. The kids were really into it and when we were finished we took a few platefuls down to our local fire station. The kids ran around and played on the fire truck. They were in heaven.

 The blue and orange 1st birthday was a hit!!! {pictures of the entire even to come....} 

My little cuties took a great picture in the state buildings Christmas chair. 

Kaylee was excited to hang out at Jumping Jacks with her cousins.

That night she was so excited to ride the bus to her play practice where she was the cutest wise man I have ever seen. We finished the night with what else....ice cream!!!

Kaylee and I sent goofy picture back and forth to Isaiah on a busy day at work to help cheer him up throughout his conference calls and cranky Christmas customers. 

I went to my Barista training and learned all about the perfect espresso from Olympia Coffee Roasters. 

Stroller Strides hosted a fabulous gingerbread tree playdate that was a HIT to kick off our holiday break!

We woke up to SNOW!!! Before the sun even came up we were outside playing in it before it melted. Kaylee loved her new sled from Uncle Josh. 

T-Mobile hosted an ugly sweater weekend and the guys and gals went all out...sweaters....hats...and antlers....

Since we were going to be out of town for Christmas this year we got together with all the cousins for a grandparents Christmas. The kids were spoiled rotten....and they loved it!

We are headed to Boise for Christmas and then its back to Washington for New Years. 

This year has been amazing! I can't wait for 2013!

Its the holidays folks....and with that and starting a new job I really really haven't had the time to sit down and get these pictures up. I don't want to stop blogging because I LOVE doing it and I love having these memories preserved for my family. I think at the end of the year I am going to take all of the picture collages and put them in a book so we have a hard copy too. I'm still trying to find a site that with make my blog into a book the way that I envision it. I've tried a few sites already but they don't format it the way I see it in my head. One day! 

As for now.....

Here was our November.......

Let the birthday countdown begin!

I almost can't wrap my head around this......Nathan is almost a year old!!! 

We love him sooooo much and its just such a privileged to be his mom and I look back on this last year and just cant believe how bless Isaiah and I are.

BREAKING NEWS:

WE HAVE A WALKER!!!!

This little guy just up and started walking this month. Crazy that Kaylee and Nathan both started walking at the same exact age down to the week. Crazy!!!

ten month stats:

weight: 29.5lbs

height:getting measured next month

eating: three meals a day and one real food snack. Still on formula until next month

clothing: 24months-2T

diapers: size 5

our big accomplishment this month is becoming a walker. He is quick about it too. He learned to walk from pulling himself up on chairs and couches and now he can get himself fully standing independently. He is just the goofiest, happiest, easy going baby around. He goes with the flow so well and I just couldn't ask for a better son. 

milestones/factoids

had pink eye in both eyes

learned to walk

broke through two more teeth...another top and bottom

head buts all the time

is a screamer.....grr

says bye and waves

is starting to become scared of strange people

ate cake at kaylees birthday party

climbed 6 stairs at my work

took pictures with Christy for his birthday invitations

is forward facing is car seat

gets sad when Kaylee isnt around

takes either two shorter naps or one longer one in the afternoon

is my Stroller Strides buddy

loves measuring cups as toys

eats anything I give him

gets upset if Im eating and he isnt

throws himself backwards when he is mad

grinds his teeth 

learning how to get off the couch and bed the correct way

has baby exema on his legs

Our princess turned four!! 

 Every year we take a picture of her right when she wakes up on her birthday. This year it was skeleton pj's and crazy hair.

The celebration was an all day princess event starting with school, ice cream with friends, and a family dinner that night!

Happy Birthday KaySue

We enjoyed some amazing subs at Jimmy Johns, played some games as a family, went on walks in the cold after dinner, and entertained Nathan by letting him push grandma around the house. 

Then it was off to the Boise Temple

 

The Boise Temple was just remodeled so it was open for the public to take tours. My parents are not members of our faith so this was a great opportunity for them to go inside the temple with us and see what it was all about. It was beautiful inside and such a fun experience to share with my parents.

This is when Nathan learned to walk with Papa!

We ate some killer Chinese food, had some smoothies at the mall, drove around town shopping, and wrestled with daddy.

Nathan turned 10 months, we did more shopping at Costco, I fell in love with Hobby Lobby, we took more walks, and played pretend shopping at home. 

Since it was cold and raining most days we took the kids to an indoor bouncy place. This one was by far the coolest one because it had trampolines and a foam pit.

We ate at an amazing hole-in-the-wall Mexican place and played on the tablets my parents bought.

The time with my parents is never long enough and sooner or later we have to make that 9hr drive back home. 

Until next time......

Well here we are folks...two months until his first birthday! 

I had no idea it would go this fast. He is turning into such an adorable little boy and he melts my heart over and over. 

It felt like he REALLY grew up this month. We had some MAJOR milestones occur and his personality is coming out more and more. 

ten month stats:

weight: 28lbs!!! {Kaylee is 31}

height: TALL:) 

eating: 3 meals a day with bottles in between still

clothes: some 18 months....mostly 24 months...some 2T 

diapers: size 5

Like I said before, the list of milestones was a big one this month! He took his first steps!! He has been practicing regularly by pushing his standing toy and the dining room chairs all over the house. Then one day Isaiah and I did the I-stand-here-you-stand-there thing and he took about three steps independently back and forth between us. He is so different from Kaylee. Instead of holding my hands he wants to hold onto my legs and push me. 

He also got his first tooth!!

It was great and horrible at the same time. The tooth was stubborn and waited until we were on vacation to make its appearance which meant a cranky baby and sleepless nights. He has three more about to break through any day now. Two on top and one more on bottom!

He has also begun the screaming stage. Oh how fun you say.....NOT!! Again he decided to start this on vacation which ended with me hanging out in the van with a baby while everyone else finished up at the Mexican restaurant. He wants to communicate so bad and screaming seems to be working for him. Not good!! So we have started teaching him some baby sign language. So far he signs quiet, all done, and more but those signs are hit or miss and most of the time he will just scream really loud over and over until I figure out what he wants. I'm keeping at it so hopefully next month I will report some good news on the sign language front. 

milestones/factoids

loves bath time with his sister

started clapping his hands when we say "Yea"

started taking first steps

first tooth broke through on bottom

gives hugs

waves hi and bye

eats anything! 

loves bananas

gives kisses {wet open mouth ones but I don't care}

completed second big road trip to Boise {9 hrs both ways}

hides face with blanket to play peak-a-boo

broke my favorite casserole dishes 

gets into all of the cabinets to play with pots and pans and tupperware

hates socks and shoes on his feet

goes to bed every night at 7:30ish and sleeps until 7 {usually}

still puts everything in his mouth

plays with the big kids

loves the swings

first time down the slide

rubs his eyes like crazy when he is tired

loves anything Kaylee is doing

carved his first pumpkin

waves out the window in the morning when Kaylee and Isaiah leave

gets crazy excited when Isaiah gets home from work

 

 

 I was looking back through all of the "our weeks in phone pics" and I gotta say I am soooooo happy I've stuck with this. It is so amazing to look back at all of the everyday moments that make up our lives. I love the goofy-kinda blurry ones that I snapped in the moment just so I could remember what we were doing. Those nowhere near perfect pictures I take while riding a bike, wresting on the floor, or in a shopping cart are priceless pieces of our family history that I love. 

I think at the end of this year I am going to make a book of just these post.....{along with the three other books I'm working on so we'll see how fast this gets done...haha...its on my to-do list so I know I will eventually get to it}

Here is how week 2 of Oct went for us......

We've been so lucky to have some 90 days without rain!!! It's totally unheard of around here {we broke the record set in 1947!} so we took full advantage of the dry weather with as much outdoor activities as possible. 

We started the week with a flag football game and some before naptime carseat playing. 

Bobbi and I went to Emilee's Dr. Suess baby shower. She is due in December with her second girl Elleanna Serenity. 

The kids had a blast on the swings and I think I captured my favorite picture of Nathan to date where Kaylee is pushing him. The two of them are so cute together! 

Kristin, Katy, and Kim left for San Diego for our Stroller Strides National Conference and made me a cute conference survival kit. {The theme was the "elements" to a great conference....so cute!}  I love these ladies. I stayed back in Washington to teach classes the rest of the week. We are heading to Boise for 10 days in a week so two big trips in one month for this mama wasnt happenin yet. Next year I'll be there though!!!

 We hit up Hunter's Family Farm for some pumpkin picking. It was a beautiful night and we had a blast! We might have even talked ourselves into going back at Christmas to their tree farm to cut our first real tree. Might being the keyword....we have an attachment to our fake tree so we'll see. I got bored and died my hair during nap time and Nathan watched Kaylee ride her bike around the neighborhood sitting on his tractor eating an apple. Then it was off to Jumping Jacks with daddy when he came home from work while I cooked dinner.

{and no...Nathan and I did not wear stripes on the same day.... it was just a stripes kinda week I guess}

For the first time Kaylee made and wrote on cards for her friends joint birthday party. The one underneath says "CAMI" and the one on top says "JACK." We headed to the park after Stroller Strides to Jack and Cami's joint second birthday. They were born a day apart so Corinne and Lindsey decided to throw a park party together since the weather was so nice. We headed to the library after where Kaylee played her "bones game" and Nathan played with books. This was a memorable trip because she got her first library card. 

Friday was pumpkin carving night with grandma and papa. 

Saturday I tuned into Stroller Strides conference via live streaming from 7:30-5pm so it was daddy day with the kids! Kim, Katy, and Kristin sent pictures and text the whole time to help me feel included. Love them! 

Isaiah and the kids hit up the mall play place for a few hours, grabbed some lunch, walked around Target, tried on some Halloween masks and ended the day with some pumpkin pie. Total kid day!

Saturday night we came home from Anna's 35th birthday party {which I totally forgot to take pictures at...my bad} to frogs all over our door! 

Now the cold has set in, the leaves are falling, the rain is here, the crockpot meals have started and I couldn't be more excited to get my boots and jackets out of hibernation!

Hello fall :)

ps...I finally updated the "watch Kaylee grow"  and "watch Nathan grow" pages if you want to see how much my little ones has changed. tear.......

Hello Fall....or wait is it still summer?? I can't tell because it's still sunny and 75 here in the northwest! I'm not complaining though....We are spending as much time outside in t-shirts and sunscreen. 

This was a bad picture week for the Torres family. With the stomach bug still making its way through the house we were all a little camera shy. Here is what I did capture through. 

my new favorite book that I am OBSESSING over right now is called "If I have to tell you one more time." If you have kids get it, read it, love it!! We have already started to see a difference in Kaylee's attitude and behavior just from using a few of the tools in this book. 

Kaylee "helped" Isaiah water our backyard...and when I say "help" I mean run through the water and get completely soaked. 

I bought Nathan a new winter hat and after Stroller Strides we picked Kaylee up from school and heaeded down to the boardwalk for a picnic lunch and park time. 

After playing we decided to head to Old Navy (where Kaylee has to take a picture with the fake people) to buy me some new jeans {oh ya baby....} and play in the new indoor playground.

The stomach bug took its last victim midway through the week so I kept the kids busy while Isaiah rested. We did some potato stamping and drove down to the local farm for an afternoon snack and to pick up some small pumpkins to decorate the house with. 

Kaylee decided she needed to wear her witch hat the next day while we ran errands

We started having some chilly mornings so after a good workout we retreaded to Cutter's Point Coffee for some peppermint hot chocolate and chocolate pumpkin loaf. 

Later that day we had a play date with our Stroller Strides friends at Lattin's Cider Mill.

We ended our week with more beautiful sunshine! I just can't get enough of it. When we have weather like this its hard to not fall in love with Washington. Its the other 9 months of rain that are hard. 

We decided to have a family dinner date out at our favorite Mexican restaurant where Kaylee counted her chips before she ate them.

Saturday was the Children's Day event where Rae and I made about 400 fruit loop necklaces. We went through about 6 boxes of cereal....it was CRAZY!!! 

*****************

In other news..........

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY JACK!!!

We love you!!!

I couldn't get him to sit still so here he is doing his new favorite thing!! Standing!!!

Happy nine months!

We are almost out of the womb longer than inside.....crazy!!

 nine month stats:

 weight: 25.6lbs! 

{basically the size of most 17 month olds}

height: {to be filled in later....I forgot to write it down..}

eating: 3 meals and lots of 8 oz bottles. Transitioning to snacks during the day.

clothing: 18-24 months

diapers: finishing last box of size 4s and heading into size 5's

We are a full night sleeper now!!!! 

Bedtime at around 8 and wakes up between 6:30 and 7.

Can I get an AMEN please!!!!

It was one night, then two, then three, and now he wakes up at either one am or four am whimpering, I lay him back down, shush him a bit and he's back out.. YES!!!!! 

So I guess we are not fully sleeping without waking but it is a while lot better than feeding and having to rock him back to sleep.

We are officially weaned also. We held on to those night feedings for the last month or so and finally we just took the full transition. I was a bit sad {and so is my chest size now....boo} but we are in a good place. He is doing great with the bottle. At night I put a little bit of brown rice cereal in the bottle and it seems to hold him over till morning. 

We also visited the doctors for our nine month checkup. He is off the charts still. We ended with a flu shot and an ear infection. You know....normal kid things. Iron levels where checked, and his burn was cleared to be unwrapped. 

This month I felt like he became more independent. He is standing on everything, bouncing up and down, playing with his sister, getting a full belly laugh, crawling all over the house, playing with all his toys, pretend reading books with Kaylee, playing on the playground, and sleeping better all around. 

His new favorite thing to do it swing at the park. He laughs and laughs and fusses when I take him out. It's so different because Kaylee hated the swing until she was about two. 

milestones/factoids:

will only sit still during dressing and diaper changing if I sing "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" 

loves bath time

hates socks and shoes on his feet

eats anything I give him

crawls over rocks, grass, concrete, dirt....anywhere

gazes out the window when Isaiah leaves for work

gets super crazy in the bath tub crawling all around and trying to drink the water

opens all the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen

bangs on things like a drum

cuddles during story time

takes one to two naps a day

is a rough and touch boy

sits backpack style in the ergo on family walks

still loves the stroller

loves wresting with his sister

stands without holding onto anything, crawls when he wants to move

sits up and bounces on knees

is very cautious when standing and getting down

We started our week off with a flag football game in the beautiful sunshine, new Nike shoes for me, a story book themed Stroller Strides class and Isaiah and Kaylee at a daddy daughter date to see Nemo in 3D. Then we had Kaylee's first field trip of the school year to the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.

Nathan slept through most of the field trip and we decided it was time for mama to get her car washed on the way home. We played in the yard and this little guy had no fear. He would crawl through gravel, cement, grass, dirt, whatever! He played in the kitchen before bed with his favorite toys....my utensils. While he napped that day, Kaylee and I practiced her cutting skills and then we had a play date!

 I covered our kitchen and dining room with Stroller Strides stuff for the weekends big Anniversary party before we celebrated Isaiah's 35th birthday! We had a quick trip to the docs office to check out Nathan's hand. We had to wrap his hand up for the week because he decided to touch my straightener and get himself a little 2nd degree burn....yep...I totally blamed the baby....not myself for leaving it in reachable distance...totally his fault...haha.
Kaylee decided earlier in the month that she wanted to throw Isaiah a Raiders themed party so I help her go all out. It was a blast!
Then it was happy birthday Stroller Strides!
We had a huge turnout and Corinne announced she was expecting #2!! Yeah for the Bipperts!! We ate cupcakes, played with friends, and had an all around great time!