Snips and Snails

I thought I would seize this opportunity while everyone is sleeping and the internet is working great to do a nice long catch up post (even though I should be paying bills and balancing the budget...oh well that can wait). The latest and most exciting news is that we are going to be adding another boy to the family. We went in to the ultra sound on Monday absolutely sure it was a girl. Surprise! Now I am officially out numbered. I know that I was before (2 to 1), but I at least had a chance of making it a tie if this were a girl. Oh well, I am very very excited. My Kason is so much fun and can be so sweet that the idea of another boy brings nothing but joy. My only regret is no shopping spree to stock up on pink and dresses, we have everything we need for a boy (and then some).

At the end of September my parents came to visit. It was so much fun to have them here and be able to share our home and neighborhood with them. Kason had a wonderful time getting to know them. We went to historic James Town and to the Zoo. We also spent a very windy day at the beach and toured the naval base in Norfolk. It was sad to see them go, but Kason and I already have out tickets booked for a trip to Utah in January! We won't be able to be there for Christmas, but during this time Reed will be on a trip for work, so this worked out a little better. It will be fun to see everybody and for Kason to play in the snow (we don't get much of that around here, which I am grateful for).

We had a great Halloween. Kason dressed up as a pirate. He learned to say "Ahrg" and kept his hat on all night. He really got into the candy part of Halloween this year, but not so much the trick-or-treating. We hit a couple of houses in Grammy and Grampy's neighborhood and that was plenty. Kason was ready to stop and eat the candy after every house (the concept of delayed gratification is still beyond his grasp). Reed and I attended a Halloween party hosted by one of Reed's clients. They did a murder mystery and Reed guessed the murderer! Along with 20 other people, so they put names in a hat to choose the ultimate winner. It wasn't Reed, but I still think he is very clever. It was very well done, we talked to a lot of people and had a good time.

The beginning of November marked the end of our first year in Virginia. I can't believe it! Although it seems like we have been through quite a bit while here, I finally feel like we are getting settled and things are looking good. We are in our own place and loving it. We just pulled out the last of garden for this year. It will be fun to pick some things to plant for next year. We have quite a large space, so we are letting some other people plant things there too. It will be exciting whatching it grow and seeing everything turn out (or not). Reed's job is really starting to pick up. He has been enjoying the challenge of starting a new business and now seems to reeping more of the rewards of his hard work. And best of all we are expecting our second little bundle of joy. It's so exciting imagining what he will look like and how his personality will differ from Kason's. The hard part is waiting and deciding on a name. Luckily we had more ideas for a boy than a girl and we have time to decide which it will be. We are looking forward to a fun filled Holliday season and life is good! I will try to keep the posts coming, I know there are some far away friends and family that appritiate the pictures and updates.

Top Ten Excuses for Not Blogging

I know I have been pretty bad at blogging lately. I don't know if anyone even checks anymore, but I am still around and have good intentions of posting great posts, but a lot has been going on. 10) We moved! I need to put some pictures up of our place. 9) Becky came for a visit, I need to put picture up of that fun filled visit. 8) I have been cleaning and unpacking and moving stuff around trying to get everything just how I like it (isn't moving fun). 7) I have been spending every precious moment I have with Reed when he is home because they are few and far between (with being young men's president and all the hard work he has been doing with Edward Jones he is practically a stranger around here). 6) To help with the finances I have been tutoring. 5) I also started babysitting this week. 4)Every time I sit down a the computer Kason wants to be on my lap banging on the keyboard. 3) Because of the move we haven't had internet for a while. 2) It's summer! We've been doing stuff outside. 1) And my number one excuse for not blogging lately is .... drum roll .... I am pregnant! And I have been sick and tired and unmotivated to do anything for the last month and a half. I am almost 11 weeks, which means sick and tired stage is almost over. My unofficial due date is March 17th and we don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but I will try and keep you posted (hopefully at least once again before the baby is born).

I Have a Family Here on Earth

Kason had fun this week getting reacquainted with some extended family. Reed's sister and her family were here from Ohio. They have a daughter who is just a few months older than Kason. She is walking now and Kason is crawling like crazy, having both of them mobile was fun. Kason was excited to see Elyse, he likes having other little people around. He even shows off for Elyse by playing the piano performing his latest death defying stunt in the pool. He can hold onto the basketball hoop and just hang there. We didn't quite get the timing right on the picture, but he can hang there for a few seconds all by himself. My little Evil Conevil! We went to Uncle Stu's graduation. Stuart graduated number 3 in his high school class. Congratulations Stuart. We also went swimming and had fun hanging out and playing. We got some cute pictures of the two of them together that will be fun to show these two when they get older. Elyse and Kason first met right after Kason was born, before Elyse moved to Ohio. There is a picture of them together then. It's fun to compare the two. Kason has grown so much! Which reminds me, I forgot to post the stats from Kason's last doctors appointment. He is 21 lbs. and 32 inches tall (I think that's right. I forgot to have the nurse write it down for me this time, so I'm not 100% sure). Reed has been working his heart out lately trying to stay ahead between now and his next trip to head quarters at the end of July. Then he will have an evaluation and officially "graduate" from the Edward Jones training program. In the mean time he is making contacts, studying and meeting with his trainer. Between that and being the Young Men's president we are lucky to see him for more than a couple of hours a day. He is working very hard and we are proud that he is number 2 in his class right now (and working on becoming number 1) Kason obviously feels the loss and has been crawling around saying his various versions of, "Da, da, da, ..." He loves his Daddy! We are very excited to have aunt Becky comming out at the end of July! She will be here most of the week that Reed is in St. Lois again. We have lots of fun things planned and can hardly wait for the party to begin!!!

If Everybody Had An Ocean

Do you think that in Heaven every day starts with an early morning walk on the beach? I do. Last week Kason and I went with Reed's family to the beach. (Unfortunately Reed was at a training in St. Louis - we really really missed him!) They rented a beach house on Onslow Beach which is about a 3 hour drive. It was so much fun! Every morning when Kason would wake up at 6:30 (that is early morning to me...if it's not early morning for you than you have my condolences) we went for a walk on the beach. Kason was tucked comfortably into the beloved Snugly and I would walk in the shallow part of the water and look for shark's teeth and shells while the waves splashed in and out against my legs. The water was just the perfect temperature and the air was already warm and thick with humidity. I could do that every day for the rest of my life! Kason was usually mesmerized by the waves on our little walks. On our last day we met Grammy and Grampy out on the beach and Grampy held Kason who promptly laid his head down and fell asleep on Grampy's shoulder, it was so sweet. Why doesn't he ever do that for me :). The water is not a source of fear for Kason in the least. He loves it! He liked sitting in the sand and having the waves wash over his legs. We did have to work on not eating the sand though. The first thing he did when I set him down on our first day was grab a big handful of sand and stick it in his mouth, because how are you supposed to know if something is cool or not if you don't put it in your mouth, right? He did overcome that obstacle. Probably because I scared him half to death with my loud, "NO" every time a little handful of sand started inching it's way towards his mouth. He jumped about ten feet with each shout (poor kid), but it only took a few times until his hunger for sand was forgotten (I think that's called aversion shock therapy). After that he contented himself with digging his chubby little fingers and toes as deep as he could into the sand. He also loved the shower. On the deck of the beach house there was a shower head for rinsing off sand and ocean grime before going into the house. The water was freezing, but Kason loved it and opened his mouth wide for a drink every time we passed. I love his funny little personality! One day we went down to join Grammy in the sand and found a crab on her towel. It was cool, but kind of creepy. Crabs remind me too much of spiders. It took all the courage I could muster just to get close enough to take the picture. Kason's uncles Stuart and Greg were there and also Greg's friend Erin. Stuart built a sand castle with two motes and a draw bridge and everthing. It was pretty cool. I think he got more use out of the sand toys we bought for Kason then Kason did. Next year Kason may be a little more interested in sand castle building. Unfortunately I dropped my camera into the water on the first day we were there, so all pictures that we have of Kason's first time at the beach were taken on my cell phone. It worked out okay though because I was able to keep Reed constantly updated with Picture Mail. Reed did very well at his training in St. Louis. One of the trainers he was working with told him that if you threw all of the top Edward Jones advisers into a bag, shook them all together and pulled out one super advisor it would be Reed. We are so proud! He has been doing his first round of contacting this week and is surprised at how nice and welcoming people are. His past experience with knocking on doors led him to believe that most people were unreceptive and usually rude to young men in suits who come knocking on their doors. Hmm. Reed did great in St. Louis and is still overjoyed to be working, but next time we go to the beach we are definitely taking him with us!

A Plain Little Turtle Named Mac

Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss is one of the books that we read often to Kason. His favorite book is actually Spot Goes to School (he loves to open the flaps), but we really like Yertle too. Kason has a little plastic turtle that he plays with in the tub and in the pool, we named him Mac after the plain little turtle who burped and shook the throne of the king. I think that Mac is a good role model for Kason (except for the burping). So, on our walk today we were very excited to see this little turtle slowly making his way across the road. We figured with all the mud on his shell this must be Yertle. Probably in search of another pond full of unsuspecting throne material, but we helped him across the road, up over the curb, and onto the grass anyway. Who knows, maybe he has turned over a new leaf. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?
Kason is now crawling. Last Friday we went and spent the evening with the people who are letting us rent their house while they are in Japan (we move in on July 25th, wahoo!) and they don't have much furniture so there is a lot of wide open space and Kason just took off. He was crawling all over the place and now he doesn't stop. It is so nice for me because he is a lot more content playing by himself now that he can get wherever he needs too. He loves crawling into the shower and pointing at the drain. He points at absolutely everything. It is so cute when he points and then looks at me and starts jabbering away, like he his explaining what it is. My biggest challenge is keeping him out of the shower while I am in there. I tried putting him in the pac-n-play today, but he cried the whole time...I can't do that to either of us again. Any suggestions? What do you do with your mobile baby while you shower?
He has a Doctor's appointment on Monday so I will post stats. Also, look at all of those teeth! He now has 8 teeth total. We think there are at least two more on their way down because of the way he has been sleeping (not good). Our next milestone will be weening. I have always planned to ween him at one year and that's coming up in just two months (can you believe it) so I am on the look out for the least traumatic weening strategy (for him and for me).

...Dearer Than Any Other

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day as a mother, and it was definitely a day to remember. I woke up about 2:30 yesterday morning and just made it to the bathroom to throw-up absolutely everything in my stomach, or so I thought. I continued waking up every hour to throw up. I was afraid I might have, as my dad would say, the Egyptian flu, or as Reed puts it a nine month parasite. But now I think it was food poisoning or something. Finally at 6 I got up and fed Kason, took some pepto and got in the shower. In the shower I proceeded to empty my stomach of the pepto and water I had taken to wash it down.

On top of this I had to speak in church (my 5th time speaking in church on mother's day) and teach my primary class. I was ready to have Reed give my talk for me and just stay at home. Luckily my dear husband holds the priesthood and was able to give me a very sweet blessing. I made it through my talk and my primary class tired, but not throwing up. I came home and went right to bed. I woke up and ate some dinner, and drank and drank because at this point I was so dehydrated I could hardly spit. Dinner seemed to be sitting okay but I started to get a fever and Reed had to go do something, so my sweet little cuddle bug Kason, probably knowing it was mother's day curled up with me in bed and went right to sleep.

When Reed got home we were both still in bed enjoying our rest, but we got up to Skype with my family (a sunday evening tradition since we moved to VA) and I fed Kason then it was back to bed by 8:00. All in all it was a mother's day to remember. I did get a new swim suit as my mother's day present from Kason ($10 at Ross) and I have a wonderful husband and son and I love being a mother! Today I am still feeling a little queasy, but no fever! Hopefully I will kick this thing and we can get on with our lives. It is no fun being a sick mommy.

Oh yeah, and Kason now says "Mommmma" when he reaches for me (and sometimes just randomly too) and that was my best mother's day gift of all!

Good Day Sunshine!

We have been waiting all winter (which to our dismay has been unusually long and cold here in VA) to get Kason into Grammy and Grampy's pool. Yesterday it reached temperatures in the 90's and the pool (having been uncovered and basking in the sun for almost a month now) has warmed up to about 78 degrees, so conditions were perfect to give it a try. They have a salt water pool, which I love, especially for Kason. You don't feel dry or itchy at all and the salt kills the germs instead of chemicals. It doesn't even taste salty (like the ocean). Kason really loves the water and had a great time splashing and floating around. I love doing new things with Kason (not that swimming is necessarily new, he has been before) there is such an added measure of excitement that makes everything seem like and adventure.

It was hard to get Kason to look at the camera because he was either fascinated by the water or busy splashing.

This is an oh so funny shot of Kason in his life jacket. I don't know whether it is Kason's lack of a neck or a design flaw in the life jacket (probably a little of both), but even with the top strap undone Kason's chubby little cheeks got squished as he floated around, but as usual he didn't seem to mind much.

Kason seemed very tranquil and lulled while floating in the water. I think he probably could have fallen asleep. Before long he will probably be taking all of his naps that way.

Here is Kason kicking in the water. He doesn't look altogether sure about life in this picture (probably due to the water he was kicking into his face), but he was generally enjoying himself. BTW Reed and I would like you to please pardon our lack of pigmentation, this was our first real swim of the season, we are still working on it.

Swimming really wears a guy out!

Lots to Cover

Well, once again I have slacked off in my blogging and it's been over two months since I blogged. I will keep the writting short with plenty of pictures becasue that is how I like it. Over the last two months Kason and I visited Utah, Reed started his new job as a finacial advisor for Edward Jones, Kason has broken 6 teeth, I have lost 5 pounds, Jeff and Tammy and Eli came for a visit, and Easter happened. It has been a great couple of months with lots of blessing and happiness!

We had such a good time in Utah staying with my parents! Lots of memories and fun. One of the highlights of our trip was swimming. It was Kason's first time and he loved it. He even got splashed and went under the water and didn't cry at all. Thanks Dad!

This is Kason at my mom and dad's trying on my mom's glasses. It was so funny because he didn't even try to pull them off. What a character!

My dad's work has a photo studio, so while we were in Utah we went and took some really good six month pictures of Kason. It wasn't an all together easy process considering Kason wasn't interested in getting his picture taken for two straight hours, but this is a reallyl good smile one!

While Jeff, Tammy and Eli were here we went and visited Jamestown and Yorktown. It was a cold and windy day, but we had fun spending time with them. It made us long for the days when they were just upstairs. Here we are in front of the flags at Jamestown. Kason was a little to interested it the fountain to pose for a picture.

It was fun to see grown up Eli. He talks so much and has tons of energy.

It will be fun to show them these pictures watch them interact as they get older.

This is Kason enjoying his first Easter. I think he really got a clear understanding of what Easter is all about.

Kason is still not crawling, but he has broken six new teeth and is eating all kinds of things. And he likes to stand up. He can pull himself to his knees, but needs help to get all the way up. Once he is standing he can be content there for quite a while before he either lets go or asks yells to be rescued.

Since Reed has started working I have kept myself busy with Kason (of course) and lots of projects. I have about 5 at various stages of completion right now. I just finished sewing this hat for Kason. I made it out of some of Reeds old pants. It didn't turn out exactly as I wanted, but it was good for a first try!

Happy Birthday Reed

Reed's 26th birthday was on the 7th and, yes, we filled his cake with 26 candles and he blew them all out! We also went to dinner at Outback Steak House (his favorite) and we went and saw a movie. We saw Taken which is a very intense and slightly traumatizing movie. Anyway, we love Reed. He is a great dad and a wonderful husband!

Of Beaches and High Chairs

Today was an exciting day full of great adventure and great photo ops. Now that Kason is six months old he isn't experiencing as many "firsts" as he used to. In the begining he was doing and seeing things for the first time everyday. Now days he's an old pro at most things, but today was special: Kason sat and ate in the high chair for the first time and he saw the ocean and the beach for the first time. 

Kason has been sitting up really well for the past couple of weeks and has just started eating cereal every morning, so we thought it was the perfect time to introduce him to the high chair. Here for the first time ever is Kason sitting in a high chair.

This is a high chair that I believe was Reed's dad's when he was a baby. Kason was more concerned with getting the high chair in his mouth than with eating his cereal, but we considered the experience a success.

Here is the big Neptune or Triton (whichever it is) statue at Virginia Beach. You can tell it's winter because there is no one there and all the the trees are in plastic (I think they look like big seaweed, which go perfectly with the statue), but the water was still pretty.

It was pretty cold (about 34 degrees) so we just jumped out of the car for a couple of quick pictures and jumped back in.

I think the big statue is really cool and I can't wait to go back in the summer time when it is warm and we can walk on the beach and play in the water. It will be especially fun to see how Kason likes it. 

Encouragement

My sister-in-law had this link on her blog "Because She is a Mother". It's a talk by Jeffery R. Holland and it is wonderful. It makes me want to work a little harder and live up to his praise and encouragement. I thought I would pass it on - thanks Carolyn!

The Wharf

On Friday last week it was almost 60 degrees, so Reed, Kason and I walked down to the Wharf. It's such a nice peaceful walk across a wide open cotton field, down through a little grove of trees, and then out across an old rickety dock that ends in this little wharf out on the river. It was the perfect walk and the lighting was just right to get some cute pictures of my boys.

Here you can see the cotton field in the background and Kason is wearing his cute hat to keep the sun out of his eyes (something that is a constant battle on walks and car rides).

This is the Wharf. As you can (or maybe can't) see it is old, probably homemade, and patched up in quite a few places. It added an extra dimension of excitement to our walk wondering if we would make it all the way out to the water and back without ending up in the water.

On the way back we were walking into the wind, so we turned Kason around in the Snugli and he kept looking up into Reed's face and smiling. Looking back I think he was smiling at the image of himself in Reed's sunglasses (he loves mirrors), but it made a very sweet picture.

This one isn't from our walk (obviously), but I thought I would throw it in. Reed has fond memories of sitting and listening to his dad sing and play the guitar. Today, Kason carried on the tradition and was captivated listening to his Grampy as he dusted off his old guitar and started practicing again.

The Park

Last week we took Kason to the park. There is a really nice and big one here. It was a little cold that day, but nothing that us seasoned Utahns couldn't handle, it was about 40-45 degrees and the sun was shining, to us that's a nice day! But apparently not to most Virginians, because we had this huge park all to ourselves! Kason especially liked the swings and the slides, and it was a fun place to get some cute pictures.

Here is Kason and Daddy. You can see a little bit of one of the play structures in the background. There were three big ones like that with slides coming off everywhere, plus teeter totters, swings, a jungles gym, and anything else you can imagine. Reed and I decided that if we were about ten we could play tag there for hours.

Notice the hand behind the head in this picture. This is apparently an inherited habit. Reed does it often when he's talking or relaxing and so does his dad. You can also see Kason's mittens that I made him.

In some ways I think that Reed and I enjoyed the park more than Kason did.

Here is Kason about to go down the big slide with Reed.

Here he is getting ready to brave the tunnel slide. Kason was fine going down by himself. I was the one who was nervous, so I followed him down on my stomach and held onto his shoulders as he slid down on his back.

Kason liked the baby swings okay, but he liked sitting on my lap while I swung on the big swing better. Reed pushed us so we went pretty high and that actually got him laughing. I love his laugh!

Kason loves being outside and looking around at all the new stuff. He doesn't even mind a little bit of cold, we just bundle him up and he is happy as can be. By the way I made that hats that Kason and I are wearing.

Yorktown

We have been in Virginia now for over two months and we finally went to a historical site (we really need to work on appritiating and taking advantage of our location). Last week we made our way out to Yorktown, which is the site of the last major battle of the revolutionary war. They told us, that although battles followed, the one at Yorktown really decided the outcome in favor of the United States. It was cool to see and be in the actual battlefield. We had a very good guide who was interesting and well informed. I learned that the French really did a lot to sway the war in our favor. I also learned that towards the end of the battle Cornwallis had some ships waiting to escape with his men, which would have left them to fight another day and dragged to war out for who knows how long. That night a bad thunderstorm came up and destroyed and damaged the ships so badly that Cornwallis and his men were forced to surrender. I thought it is such a good example of the hand of the Lord in establishing the freedom of the United States. Kason was so good, it was just like he was listening intently to the guide (until he fell asleep, which was good too). He just loves being outside and walking around! It cost $10 per person to be there and there were seven of us, so we ended up just getting a season pass which only cost $50 and is good for Jamestown also, which means there are more historical site trips to come!

Christmas!

We had a great Christmas! Reed's brothers Greg and Ben were here from Utah along with the usual gang (Mom and Dad Sloat, Stuart, Gram, Reed, Kason, and me) we were quite a crowd. We got many generous and thoughtful gifts and enjoyed being with family for Christmas. Kason got a lot of new clothes in 6-9 month sizes, which is good because he's growing out of many of his older clothes. He also got some new toys and books and really cool safari swing that plays soothing jungle music. Kason enjoyed sucking on a candy cane (with the wrapper on) and hanging out with his uncles. As part of a Sloat family tradition we all (except Kason and Gram) saw a movie in the afternoon. We saw Bedtime Stories, which I was a little wary of because the last few Adam Sandler movies I've seen have been terrible, but it was actually very cute. We also talked to Mom and Dad Bylund, Jeff, Tammy, Eli, Mike, and Becky on Skype. It was fun to see everyone there in Utah. I decided to make beanies for everyone for Christmas, so I have been crocheting like crazy. I ended up making nine beanies total. It was fun and now I'm way fast at it, so if anyone needs a beanie... 

It was great weather for Christmas. Reed and Kason I went for a walk in 70 degree weather, it was wonderful. It just made me think of being back in Utah with three more long months of winter ahead and made me grateful to be where I am. Kason loves it to because he likes going for walks.

Still no news on the job front, but we haven't lost hope. Things will pick up again next week with the holidays over and we are bound to hear something.

Kason is doing fantastic! He is now five months old and more and more fun 

everyday. He can roll over from his stomach to his back and almost from his back to his stomach, but he doesn't like being on his stomach, so there isn't much motivation to go that way. We are continuing to give him rice cereal every once in a while to get him ready for "solid foods" next month (baby food, to me, does not count as solid). He gobbles it right up, but it seems a little hard on his system so we are only doing it once or twice a week right now. His favorite thing is looking in the mirror. He gets a huge smile when he sees himself and sometimes laughs (his laugh is my new favorite sound). All in all we are happy and doing great.