Little Tiger ---- Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Now that Kan is 4 he has the opportunity to try a few different sports - so we decided that soccer would be our first "try." Can I just say that 4-year olds are hilarious, clueless, and overall skeptics when it comes to learning the ins and outs of something new like a sport they've never played. Of course we decked Kanyon out in shin guards, soccer shoes, socks, shorts, the whole shabang to find out other parents really could have cared less how styling their little sportster was. Kan was completely clueless, running around in circles just following the other kids that were overall just as clueless. We would yell "run Kan run - kick the ball" and he would gaze at you in his little charming smile like seriously - look how freaking cute I am. I can honestly say I don't think he ended the season knowing much more than when he started. He was "that" child "that" child that roamed around aimlessly just trying to figure out what the point of the sport was. Kan is an observer he likes to watch and learn before partcipating - he takes everything in and analyzes it (definitely a trait from his dad). At the end of the game all that really matters is what kind of awesome treat they get anyways - RIGHT?

10 Months of Totally Awesomeness

I could rant and rave about how fast time flies by and yada yada yada but this time right now is so much fun that words could never capture how much we revel in the moments. Now, don't get me wrong if I could lock myself in a time capsule and go back rocking our little squishy bug as a newborn I would totally do it but this time right now is an absolute blast. Kimbree is ever changing - her personality is constantly picking up on new things, mocking different sounds we make, playing copy cat, taking charge, yet still small enough to melt into your arms. She's continuously making new faces or screeching just to hear the sound of her own voice. I (of course) am still her most favorite person in the whole world, she will squeal if anyone tries to remove her from my arms; needless to say dropoffs at daycare aren't always considered fun. She crawls all over and pulls herself up on EVERYTHING - just last week she took her first steps. She still loves food and is a fantastic little eater, that's probably somewhat noticeable by the size of her meaty thighs. She has 7 teeth and will bite if you stick your finger in her mouth (Kanyon tested this theory). She still isn't the most ideal sleeper and wakes several times a night but goes back to sleep without a hitch. She's slowly weaning herself off the bottle and loves cups with straws. She continues to melt my heart daily and I don't foresee that ever changing.

Creekview Creeper - Beeeeeee Amazing - Kan's Preschool Journey Begins

I didn't realize that in one breath I would go from holding your tiny infant hand to grasping small toddler fingers as we walked towards the doors of your new adventure. September 3, 2014 you began your preschool journey; it was a beeeeeeeee-autiful day! You are so ready to take the world head on and any brief moments of hesitation you experience are just those - brief moments. The morning of school when I asked if you were sooooooo excited to start school, your response was - "I'm so nervous it's ridiculous." I would never expect a different response from your little mouth that continuously has our family in cahoots. Dinosaur backpack in tow you reached for my hand as we walked towards the front doors. The doors that are your first stepping stone in your learning future. You must have asked 14,356 questions. "Are you going to leave me alone all by myself there" "How many boys are in my class" "Is M.J. in my class this year" "Do we get treats" "Are you going to leave me" "Who's going to pick me up" "Is the principal mean or nice?" Daddy may or may not have put a false image of "Mr. Principal" in your head and what might happen if you don't listen -it was just a small stretch of daddy's vivid imagination. As we arrived at your classroom door - you grabbed the little bee with your name on it and placed it on the bee tree. Mrs. Raquel exclaims "hi Kanyon" and you stalled (just for a brief moment) squeezing my hand extra tight. It literally took seconds after hanging your backpack and chit chatting with Mrs. Raquel for you to forget that I was still in the room. I watched fighting back tears as you pulled out a fire truck and told Mrs. Raquel all about Legos, fire trucks, and how bumble bees sting you. Instead of gracefully slipping away - I lingered and held on to the moment - the moment when that tiny little infant hand progressed into a toddler hand that didn't seem to need me as much anymore. As you basically shoed me away - I barely made it to the car before the free flow of tears followed. I kept thinking of the song "Bring Back My Bonnie to Me" but in place of the word Bonnie was the term baby. "Bring back bring back bring back my baby to me to me." This is the part where I struggle - letting go. You dove right in and embraced preschool with wide open arms. Miss Raquel stated, "What a bright and sweet little boy you have, I'm so happy to have him in my class." Your first day was a success and you didn't hesitate to tell me about all the girls in your class - there are more girls than boys, the bumblebee hats you helped assembled, the toys you played with, and the peanut butter and honey cracker you ate at snack time. Here's to big adventures in your new hive - keep learning my little bumblebee - you make me one proud mommy.

Fantastic 4 year old - Kan man

Holy Smokes, it's sooooo hard to believe that you are 4 already, what happened? You are starting to grow up, that's what happened! I have mixed feelings about you getting older, you're supposed to stay my little snuggle bug forever and ever. Your personality is continually growing and adapting and well to be honest getting you into skiffs of trouble. You are extremely hard headed and trying to refocus your attention when your mind is already set is darn near impossible. You generally have to be told half a dozen times not to do something which results in a timeout and an all out fit. Setting the timer seems to help because then you focus on waiting for it to go off more than being in timeout. You have the most vivid imagination I've ever seen on a child. You can make something out of nothing and watching your mind work is intriguing. You still love me the most (good judge of character you are), I love that you always snuggle with me when you're tired and that I can't be out of your eye sight for more than a minute when you come looking for me - I however do not like you interrupting my bathroom time. You love building and can sit with legos for hours on end making fancy creations. Your new found love is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and you always want someone to play with you. Yesterday you put a brand new 60 piece puzzle together all by yourself within a few minutes like it was nothing. I love that you don't get discouraged that you keep trying until you figure something out whether its the right or wrong way, you have a solution to everything. You love to be outside and help dad with yard work or tinkering in the garage. When you are too quiet we are well aware that you are doing something you aren't supposed to be doing. Recently you've made friends with a few neighborhood kids. Everytime I watch you ride your bike up the street to play, I feel like I'm losing a little more of my little boy that once needed me so much. Tomorrow we get to go meet your preschool teacher, you are so excited to start school next week. The week after school starts you are going to start playing fall soccer. I can't wait to see how cute you are trying to figure out a new sport. You still love your papa more than the moon and you spend countless hours making the best of memories with him, it melts my heart to see you two together. You're even starting to share Kimbree Jo with him but I can tell it bothers you. You are such a good big brother to Kimbree, she loves you and lights up the minute you pay attention to her. I love that you interact with her even though she can be a pain. You are caught between the world of being a little boy and a teenager and you think that just because Kaleb and Kennedy get to do something that you can do it too. We celebrated your birthday at Huntington Lake. You love the water and trying to catch crawdads off the dock. We had a BBQ and ninja turtle cupcakes and you received lots of awesome presents: 2 backpacks, legos, a matchbox car racing track, ninja turtles, a coat and levis, squirt guns, and the list goes on. Kanyon you light up our world daily, not a day goes by that I'm not eternally grateful for your presence. Our frustrations with you seem so small in comparison to the laughter you surround us with. Happy birthday buddy, I hope the next year is full of many grand adventures and your heart is always happy!

"One Last Time"

From the moment you hold your babies in your arms, you will never be the same. You might long for the person you were before. The person who had freedom and time and nothing in particular to worry about. You will know tiredness like you never knew it before and days will run into days that are exactly the same. Days full of feedings, gas bubbles, naps (or lack of), crying, whining, snuggling, stories, fighting, it may seem like the cycle never ends. But don't forget..... There is a last time for everything. There will come a time when you will feed your baby for the very last time because you blink and then they want to do it "all by themselves." There will be a last time you hold your sleeping child, they don't stay little and lap size forever. One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down and never pick them up that way again because with time comes growth. There will be a last time you scrub their hair in the bath, one day they will want to bathe alone. There will be a last time they hold your hand to cross the road, there comes a day when they stop reaching up for it. There will be a last time they creep into your room at midnight for cuddles. One afternoon you will sing "the wheels on the bus" and do all the actions, then never sing that song to them again because they outgrew it. There will be a last time they kiss you goodbye on the drop off at school before time has an affect and they want to go alone. There will be a last time you read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face. They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time. The thing is, you won't even know it's the last time until there are no more times and even then it will still take you a while to realize it. So.... While you are living in these times, remember there are only so many of them and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them. For one last time.