First attempt at posting a video!

Jaden's favorite video for the last few months has been Snow White.  He just stares at the t.v when Snow White sings and loves to dance during the scene where the dwarfs are playing music, singing and dancing with Snow White.  Here's a clip:

At the end of the video you can hear him say, "Cheese, cheese, cheese", I guess he thought I had the regular camera instead of the video camera.  Funny!

We'd like to thank cousin Isabella for giving us the DVD (via Grandma Ashlock)!

Yes Jaden, there is a Santa Clause!

John & I heard a noise coming from the front of the house Christmas Eve night so we went to investigate and found Santa putting presents under the tree!  As everyone knows, I always have my camera handy and was able to snap a picture of 'Ol Saint Nick to show Jaden in the morning.  Framed and everything!  Yeah Me!  But seriously, go to icaughtsanta.com next year and you too can proudly show off the picture of Santa, that you were able to capture, to your kids!  =]

Caught in the act!

Santa brought a wagon for Jaden!

Elmo's Countdown to Bedtime book

Police car from Uncle Eric - sound effects and all!

Little Man and I were sick so Christmas was a low key (aka-quarantined) affair.  But John, Jaden and I enjoyed the time together, watching movies, snacking on sweets and napping.  We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday!  

Merry Christmas and 

Happy New Year!

Playhouse Disney Live!

This weekend Playhouse Disney Live was in Houston!  We've had tickets for months and Jaden was very excited about getting to see Handy Manny and Tigger & Pooh.  The doors weren't open until 11:30 AM (show was at 12:30 PM) so we had to wait outside and it was COLD!  The wind didn't help much either but we stuck it out.  Once inside, John and Jaden made a bee-line for the souvenir table.  Of course we bought him anything he pointed out!  The show had a booth where you could get your picture taken with Handy Manny so we HAD to do that too.  The show was fun although we didn't stay for the whole thing.  Jaden was fading fast and I saw John do the "head bob" a couple of times so we cut out at intermission.  We'll probably try again when Jaden is old enough to not need a nap.  =]

Dad come here!

I want this!

Jaden and Handy Manny

(Yes Jaden is wearing his pajama top but he wanted to wear his Manny shirt)

I salute Disney Playhouse!

(Jaden holding his Little Einstein Conducting Light Stick)

Mom & Jaden

(show is almost ready to start but Jaden is getting sleepy)

Christmas Party!

Jaden had his Christmas party at MDO yesterday!  There were snacks, gifts and a book exchange that the kids really enjoyed.  Afterwards we stopped by the park near our house for "Fun with Santa".  The local recreation center organized craft projects and pictures with Santa and a animal shelter brought out some dogs that are up for adoption.  The crafts were fun, Jaden loved seeing the dogs and we got the picture with Santa despite a skeptical Jaden.  =]  Enjoy the pics!

Enjoying the snacks, especially the cheetos!

Opening his first gift

Oh Wow!

Reading his new book, "Barnyard Dance"

Decorating cookies at "Fun with Santa"

Frosting.....uh, not so good

We need to let the doggies out!

SO happy to get his picture taken with Santa

Potty Time!

We're thinking of starting the Potty Training process!  Jaden puts up such a fight during diaper changes now!  Recently Jaden and I have been watching Elmo videos on YouTube.com and this is one of his favorites!  (see below)  He also tells us when he has poo poo in his diaper.   Sometimes when I ask if he has poo poo  in his diaper, he'll say "No" but then he'll pull up my shirt and try to look in my pants!  Funny!  But not so much in public!  =]

On the "Poo" note, Jaden and I would like to give a whoop whoop for our friend Hudson who officially "went" on the potty over the weekend.  Yeah Hudson!

Ok,  enough of the Poo!  Enjoy the video!

Go Elmo, Go Elmo, Go Elmo!  It's Your Potty!  Go Elmo! 

Eye goo! Eww!

We woke up to find Pink Eye over the weekend!  I noticed that Jaden's right eye was a little red but just and hour after getting him up, this is what he looked like!  Poor Little Man looked like he got popped in the eye!  Took him to the Dr. and got some meds and he actually looks A LOT better today.  He did get it in both eyes but we caught it early so the left eye didn't get that bad. His Dr. said that Jaden won't be contagious by tomorrow and can go back to school.  Amazing that neither John or I got it.  OH!  I've also posted Jaden's school pictures that they took back in October!  So cute!

His eyes got a lot worse after this!  =[

17 months old

Class picture with Ms. Amy and Ms. Amanda

Jaden is tucked in the middle, front row

Every Girl is Crazy for a Sharp Dressed Man!

I bought a couple of different outfits for Jaden, trying to find "The Christmas Outfit" for him to wear in the Christmas card picture for our family and the picture we took of he and his cousins for the Grandmas.  Here are some random shots of the little handsome man.  =]

In our backyard

In the courtyard at the mall

The Boy never met a dog he didn't like!  =]

At Market Street

Jaden was tired of the dressy clothes so we ditched the sweater and let him have his ball cap

New York New York!

Last week John was in NY for business so I joined him for a weekend of fun!  It was my first trip to New York and our first time to take a trip without Jaden!  The flight was easy (movies always help) and there was a car waiting to take me to the hotel.  A ride in a NY taxi was on my list of "must dos" but once we got into the city, I was glad to be riding with a professional driver...at least until he told me he just came back to work after being off 2 weeks due to an accident.  Nice!  It was SO COLD and we didn't come prepared so we had to stop at a street vendor to get hats and gloves.  I don't think we've ever walked so much in our lives!  But it was a great! We saw Central Park (via rickshaw), NYU, Rockefeller Center, rode the subway, visited Wall Street and Ground Zero, walked through the Irish Memorial and Times Square, shopped at Macy's, saw the Statue of Liberty and our hotel was on the same block as Carnegie Hall and the Russian Tea Room.  We really only had Saturday to do everything but we really covered a lot of ground.  The City is more kid friendly than I expected but I wouldn't take Jaden during the holidays because of the cold.  Our rickshaw driver said that September is the best time for families because the weather is so nice and you see lots of kids playing in Central Park.  John and I will probably take Jaden just before he starts kindergarten.  Here's some pics from the trip.

View from our room

(that's Central Park in the middle)

Construction of the Twin Towers Memorial at Ground Zero

At The Irish Hunger Memorial

Times Square

Dinner in The Chestnut Room @ Tavern on the Green

Our last night in New York

Elf Yourself!

I forgot about this website!  elfyourself.com  

You can upload photos of you and your family onto the bodies of elves and pick a style of dance for them to boogie....yes, I said boogie.  =]

To see our family, go to:  http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/8rC63oN31HtCxCfU

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2008

This was our first year to host Thanksgiving!  Family from Bakersfield, Longview, Leawood and Tulsa came to share the holiday with us.    We had about 2o+ people at our house and it was great!  I want to thank Aunt Kathi for coordinating the cooking times and everything.  I would have lost my mind if she hadn't jumped in and helped out.  Since we weren't going to see some of the family at Christmas, we did the kids gift exchange Thanksgiving night.  They were so excited!  I took a lot of pictures but my program is so messed up that I was only able to upload these three pictures.

Jaden's first bike from Grandma McKenna

Jon (Renee's Husb), Tiffany (John's cousin), Renee (John's sis) & Philip (Tiff's Husb)

the "young adults" night out @ Goose's Acre

John and I

(he really was having a good time!)

Mealtime Mishaps!

This is what happens when you leave a toddler alone for 2 seconds with Ranch Dipping Sauce.  Amazing how they can get food up the nose!  

You would think I'd be more cautious after that!  But NO! 

 Two days later.....

2 seconds alone with yogurt.

Maybe he heard that yogurt is a great deep conditioner for your hair?!?!?!

Lighting of the Doves event

This weekend was the Lighting of the Doves celebration so we loaded up Jaden and his gear and met up with John's brother Justin and his family so the kids could have some fun!  

Rare picture!  

Us letting Jaden have sweets and him actually eating it.

This was the Sweet & Sassy booth (for girls).  

Jaden walked right up to the girls with a little shy smile and they ate it up!   

This is them putting a sparkly star on his hand.

Jaden & cousin Conley checking out their stickers.

The event had this big Snowhill that you could slide down on an inner tube but little kids had to be able to ride by themselves to be admitted.  A few kids older than Jaden backed out at the last minute and had to be retrieved by parents who didn't look to happy about having to climb up the stairs to get them.  But Jaden climbed to the top by himself and was ready to go without the tube!  Guess he thought it was just one big slide.  I caught him in time and they got the tube under him but he didn't quite understand that you had to hold onto the handles.  He finally got it.  I'm sure it was quite a sight for the people at the bottom!  A little yellow tube with feet sticking out of the top coming down the hill.  =D  Jaden high 5'd us afterwards.  What a little dare-devil! 

Cousin Cade at the top of The Snowhill (red tube) getting ready to go down.

Cousin Rylan going down!  Jaden at the top in yellow tube.

Jaden (yellow tube with feet sticking out) and 

Me (middle) getting ready to go down.

I'm explaining the importance of holding on with both hands.

Jaden has landed!

What just happened?!

I probably won't blog again until after the holiday so everyone,

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thanks for Sharing

Jaden and I went to the park the other day.  There were a few kids there, some older some younger, playing on the slides.  Their moms said Hi and when Jaden showed interest in one of their kids toys, they said that it was o.k. for Jaden to play with it.  WELL!  We're having trouble sharing these days.  Jaden's toys are his toys, if another kid has a toy that looks like one of his toys...it's Jaden's toy, if it looks cool and fun to play with ...it's Jaden's toy.  And apparently this "duck on a stick" is popular with the 2 and under crowd.   Jaden kept saying, "Ducky", "Ducky" and carried it around (he couldn't get it to roll on the mulch) and even took it on the slide.  Smart kid really!  He knew if he set it down, one of the other kids would get it.  =]  After 15 minutes of this I had to explain to him that it was this other kids turn to play with it.  He threw a fit and promptly marched over to the jogger stroller and tried to get in - his way of letting me know he's ready to be taken home.  So funny.

Ducky!

Taking the duck on the slide

We're going to keep working on this sharing stuff.  I certainly don't want Jaden to be know in the neighborhood as "that kid".  =]

Day in Pictures

Who needs expensive toys when you have oven mitts?!

or a cardboard box?!

Yes....Jaden is in the "crevice phase", although the only crevices he seems to play with are his nostrils.  Lovely!

Diggin' for diamonds?

Looking forward to seeing all the family at Thanksgiving!  And I promise, Jaden won't be helping with the food prep.  =]