Hold the phones.. almost 9 MOS OLD??

Are you kidding me?!? Your joking right?!? Kaiden is almost 9 mos old?? WHAT?! Someone please tell me I'm dreaming! This can not be happening! My baby can not be nearing 1 year old! *sigh*... Why God? Why??? :) Its true, I Can. Not. Believe. how fast time flies as you get older. Its craziness! Anyways, please take a moment to dote on my lil kutie kaiden while he's still young....

Trip to Michigan!

*Trip Highlights*:

Cousin Daxon teaching Xander how to catch frogs!
This is the fish pond I dug up as a child with my siblings because we were jealous that all our neighbors had ponds!

Swinging on the swing we had when I was growing up!

Playing in the sand at Houghton Lake.

Kaiden being a stinking CUTIE at Houghton Lake!

Admiring the animals at the Detroit Zoo with Cousin Emery!

(See more picture on my facebook page!)

We just got back from our trip to Michigan to visit my family! It was so crazy to be home again where I grew up most my life... everything seems so different since the last time I've been there- trees are 10x as big, yard is more lush, there are chickens running around now (that my mom hopes will lay eggs some day), and my siblings are of course growing up So fast!!

The first few days, we went up to Houghton Lake and stayed in cabins by the lake. Lake was gorgeous, and we floated down the Asable River. The kids LOVED playing in the sand and water!

When we got home, we visited the Detroit Zoo, and my Grandma Kortas (Great Gramma to Xander.) It was so great to see everyone, will miss them and hopefully its not too long till we see them next!!

It takes a while to post pics on here, so here are some highlights of our trip. I have ALL the rest posted on Facebook if you'd like to see!

Family Pic

Here is an updated family picture- since we ARE a family of 4 now! I've been meaning to get professional pics done but it just hasnt happened yet! We're hoping to get them done soon...

Happy Forth!!

We went to our friends, the Emery's house for swimming, BBQ, and fireworks this year. Here we are, Watching the Aliante Station firworks from the street- they were PERFECT seats! The fireworks looked like they were right at the end of the street!

Xander covered his nose when the smoke would blow his way.

Here's a video for you, Mom of Xander watching the fireworks!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Despite whats going on nowadays, We live in the greatest country in the world, that God has prepared for us to be able to spread and live the gospel!

Shake Shake Shake

Dont worry- I didnt let Travis shake the baby too hard- he was just trying to make his cheeks jiggle ;) He's such a fatty- about 16 lbs now.. and wearing 6mo old clothes! He's definately be bigger than Xander one day- and then he'll get his revenge! (Xander can get alittle rough with Kaiden.) Love him to death!!!!

Poconos?

Its fun to hear Xander trying to say words. Sometimes he's really good- like the other day he heard a siren and said, "Ambunence?" Holy crap, ya! Here he is trying to say "Popsicle". You'd think he'd have it down by now- he says it about 50 times a day!!

Oh the Joys....

... of having 2 kids!! I know, all you mothers of more than 2 are rolling your eyes right now.. but you have to admit, going from 1 to 2 is a big adjustment! I mean, its slowly getting better- but some days it seems like if one kid isnt crying, the other one is!! But I guess, looking on the bright side- that means I always have a happy child to play with :) As it is in this video:

My Chunky Monkey

Four Months Old! *sigh* They grow too fast! Kaiden smiles all the time now. Still working on getting him to laugh. Just haven't found what'll crack him up yet. Here are some pics I've taken the last few days.

Kaiden LOVES to suck on his fingers! He's not a huge Binky fan, but is always trying to get his fists up to his mouth! Kinda worried about that cuz I know I'm gonna have to break him of that habit one day. He must be getting some sort of calories from it because he is one Chunky Monkey!! He's alot heavier than Xander.. Xander didnt grow this fast thats for sure.

Chillin out in his Bumbo chair!

This is the face he makes when he's trying to get his fist to his mouth.. he opens his mouth all wide and wiggles his arms. Poor thing.. hes starting to get it down though :)

You could tell he was trying so hard to reach this toy. Its sad to see them so helpless!

It was so funny- for the longest time, Kaiden just stared at Xanders butt! hahah

Time for bed

Can you tell he likes to cuddle?

Thrush

So, I believe that Kaiden and I haven been passing Thrush back and forth so I went and bought some Gentian Violet- which I read is supposed to work wonders at getting rid of it- Welp, they weren't kidding when they said its very messy! and it Stains!! I hope the stains go away by tomorrow for church!

I'm In Love

*Love Them*

Tummy Time!

Bath Time!

"Mommy, Get this kid away from me!!"

Putting the kid to good use.

Midnight Bath after spitting up all over himself.

Total Money Makeover

Travis and I just got done reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey because we were just sick of feeling like we were living paycheck to paycheck and not building up a savings very fast, etc. So, now we are dedicated to going through Dave's steps in order to acheive financial freedom!! :) We've cut back on some things and I've actually made a Budget! (for the first time ever!) And its so empowering knowing where our money is dissappearing to! One of the quotes in Dave's book is: (this is referring to the importance of a budget)

"A budget is people telling their money where to go, rather than wondering where it went!"

We were always wondering where our money went, and it was so frustrating. So, I made a budget and we are sticking to it (for the most part!)

I've also been on a huge couponing kick lately. My husband probably thinks I eat, drink, and breathe coupons, but its been so fun and amazing to see how cheap i can purchase things! Plus- and this is the best part- it gets my shopping kick out of the way without me spending tons of money!

Here is a picture of some things I've gotten for FREE, or less than $1. Most of them were free, only a few were less than $1:




Awesome huh?? Its exciting- if you haven't taken up couponing, I highly suggest it! I have some great blogs I follow that help newbies like me- they even put out weekly lists of what you can get for free or cheap with the sales that week paired with the coupons! If your interested, they are:





http://www.hip2save.com/

http://www.passionforsavings.com/

http://www.homemakingexpert.com/



And of course, if you want to start printing coupons of your own to save you some money, you can go to:



http://www.coupons.com/

http://www.redplum.com/

http://www.smartsource.com/


Or get your local Sunday paper.



I have tried couponing a couple times in the past but always ended up giving up because I never thought I was getting a very good deal ("I can get it cheaper if i just buy the generic brand at full price!") But after following these blogs and learning a few things, I think I finally got it down!

Bonding

Travis doesnt spend a whole lot of time getting to know little Kaiden, because he is always so busy with Xander. Plus, its harder for him to play with a newborn than it is with a 2 year old! But last night, lil Kaiden was on his chest just smiling away and being super cute! I loved it!

Speaking of Travis being busy, he just got called as the new Ward Mission Leader. We were previously ward missionaries and our Mission Leader, (also a Brother Jones), was a firecracker- a go-getter, and very good Mission Leader. When he had to move, Travis told me, "Whoever has to replace him has some big shoes to fill!" and then the Bishop calls him into his office! Lol! You should have seen the look on his face when he was called! He is extremely nervous but only because he wants to do as good a job as the last Brother Jones! But I know he'll do a wonderful job. He is not afraid to talk to people and get things done, so I have total confidence in him!

8 Weeks Old!!

So, holy cow- Kaiden is growing much faster than Xander did! he is already out of his newborn clothes and into his 3-6 mo size! He's a chunky monkey thats for sure.. and I love every inch of him! :) He gained 4 lbs in 6 weeks when the average is 2 lbs each month!

Xander is loving him very much- alittle too much- I now know the meaning of "loving someone to death"... sometimes I'm afraid Xander just might do that! We are learning to become more gentle!

Kaiden is very dependent still- when he is awake he wants to be held allll the time! He will be screaming bloody murder, but the second i pick him up- Silence! It is definately a hinder when I need to get things done and deal with Xander, but overall, I dont mind the constant cuddle time :) I am soaking it up!

Can you say, "awww"?

There are no words.

My Favorite Feature

So these are my absolute fav.. Kaiden's dimples! Well, only 1 on his cheek, and another on his chin... its sort of a cleft in his chin. Anyways- just like his Daddy! SO cute! I just about jumped up and down when I saw it! I had been saying all along, "I hope he has your dimple Trav!" I got my wish!

Kaiden Pateman Jones is here!

So we got an unexpected surprise 3 weeks early! Kaiden Pateman Jones decided he couldnt wait to join our gorgeous family and was born February 7, 2011 at 11:42am...

I woke up with what I thought might be contractions, and sure enough, they got intense pretty quickly and within about 3-4 hours I had him at home with my wonderful midwife, Dixie!

It definatly felt like it went alot slower than last time, but still quick enough for me to bear through the pain :) (as much as you possibly can)

He was:

6 lb 14 oz

20" long

Light Hair- I have a feeling he will have pretty light hair- probably blonde/dark blonde

Has Daddy's dimples- one on his cheek and on his chin!

I had a feeling he would be early cuz Xander was 2 weeks early, but wasn't expecting this early! He was born 5 days before Xander's birthday- which is this Saturday, the 12th. So, they are just under 2 years apart.

SO glad he is finally here, SO glad he is perfectly healthy despite the early arrival, and SO glad I am done being pregnant!!

Thank you SO much to Dixie Story (midwife) and Jennifer Budge for helping out with this wonderful experience! We love you both!

Blog Invites?

So, I've noticed that quite a few of you bloggers out there have changed their profiles to "invited readers only". So... if any of you haven't invited me yet, can you do so?? Just cuz I would love to see the updates on your families and see whats going on with you! If you have already invited me in the past, it might have expired so send it again! Thanks!

8 Months Preggo!

Can you believe I only have 1 more month to go till I have this kid?? It finally hit me that I dont have much time left so i've been trying to gather everything I need: diapers, clean baby clothes, birth kit, labor prep stuff, etc etc. I am having my baby at home again and am *praying* that it goes as quickly and smoothly as last time (remember the coveted 2 hour labor?) but I have a hard time believing it'll go as fast this time so i've been doing some prepping on breathing and relaxation techniques, etc so I can be prepared in case its a long labor this time!

I am using a different midwife this time- her name is Dixie Story. She is super sweet. I loved my midwife last time, too but she is across town and is also more expensive so we decided that we needed to find someone I liked who was cheaper!

I sure cant wait to have this baby already! I think dealing with newborns is WAY more fun than being pregnant! I'd much rather deal with sore nipples than nausea; poopy diapers than heartburn; and sleepless nights than not being able to run after my kid! So here's to my baby coming healthy, and my baby coming early rather than late!