Crouching Lion, Hidden Whiskers!

Before Kael was born, he was given a lion hooded towel. He is now finally discovering how awesome it is! After his bath I wrap him up, put the hood over his head and then he will roar at himself in front of the mirror. It is SO cute! Thanks Nicola!

And here is Whiskers... A family favorite!

Once Upon a Child

A friend told me about the coolest store. It is called Once Upon a Child and they sell used children's toys, clothes, and equipment. You can also donate used items and earn store credit. Adam and I took a trip to the store and Kael found a really fun toy: the Pop Pop! I had a Pop Pop when I was little so it was really fun to see him play with it! We also found some cute shoes that look like new and a handsome sweater for church.

Housing Woes

Those close to our family know that, due to no fault of our own, we are being evicted from the home that we are renting. This is of concern to us because there are very few houses to rent or buy in our community. Those properties that are available are extremely old and not in good condition. Every home that we have looked into has lead, or leaks or cracked foundations or some combination of these problems. We are a wee bit stressed but we will be fine. We keep paying our tithing and something will come available. After all we have recently been blessed with a lot of family nearby, and we are more than willing to impose on them. Relax! That is a last resort only.

One option that we have been exploring is to build our own new home. We are learning that there is a lot more to this that I had previously thought. However we are undaunted and have constructed our first prototype home together as a family from existing materials that we already own. Below are some pictures of the project as well as a video that shows Adam and Kael putting the new structure through its paces.

What a COOL kid!

Yup I have the coolest kid! He is so FUN!

This last weekend we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa. While sitting in the high chair at their house, I heard him say his name and point to himself for the very first time.

He loves to say "cluck" whenever I talk about chicken (for dinner, in a picture book, etc.) Lately he is really in to giving everyone "five" or "rock." In church yesterday, the boys in the row behind us thought it was awesome! I am realizing how often I say "hmmmm" because every time I do, Kael repeats after me. It is so cute!

In this picture he is wearing his ninja hat from Halloween and taking out all of the books on this shelf. He was caught in the act. Typically I'll just find a pile of books on the floor, but this time I saw him tearing them all out!

I texted a similar picture to Kael's Papa and he said, "the bowl looks bigger than him." Kael loves to eat popcorn. I did however end up picking up the contents of this bowl about three times.

Tagged

Here is the 6th picture of the 6th folder of my pictures folder. You can play along and post your 6th folder-6th picture too!

This picture is of my twin sister, my parents, my grandma and me outside the Idaho Falls Temple. It was taken before my twin sister went on her mission!

Is Liking Tomatoes Genetic?

It must be, because Adam likes to eat whole tomatoes. I like to to eat whole tomatoes when they are fresh out of the garden. And apparently Kael also really likes to eat whole tomatoes!

I promise, we really do feed him.... all the time! He must be growing.

My New Walking Trail

The trick is getting Barak out of the vehical. Kael is trying to lure him with a puppy treat.

Kael prefers to walk too.

Isn't it beautiful. The are a few patches of snow but other than that the walking trail is totally clear and beautifully paved so that it is easy to push a stroller.

Barak loves it... once he gets out of the car.

I think it is interesting to see what rocks Kael chooses. There are so many options but he always seems to have one in mind that he wants to pick up. And it isn't always the prettiest or the biggest.

I had to hold him down to get a picture with me. He just wanted to walk around and pick up rocks.

Before we left we splashed in the puddle!

Dig In!

Kael enjoyed the chips and dip while we watched the Super Bowl. Mostly he just liked to eat the dip by the handful.

A Few Things That Make Me Smile

Kael had a pretty tough week with a new tooth coming in. 2 days of a fever is not my idea of fun, but despite the teething a few things made him and me smile. Adam helped him do pull-ups,Kael recieved his first helium balloon, and we all recieved a lot of hugs and kisses.

Here is a sunset that I saw out my kitchen window. When I lifted Kael up to show him, and said "Hot!" And I said yes it probably is, but it doesn't hurt us to look at it!" It was loads prettier than the picture shows.