The Michael Family Reunion

This years Michael Family Reunion was significant because it celebrated the 100th year that Michael's have lived in the state of Washington!!!! So everyone came to party down! It was so great!
We were planning on leaving thursday but Darren surprised me tuesday night (seriously around midnight!) that we could leave the next morning. He must really trust that Im a good, quick packer! lol. I packed everybody up and we left at 11:30 am which I thought was pretty dang good since my goal was 12! I also called my dad to let him know we were leaving a day earlier and having the coolest job in the world, he jumped on a plane that day and made it there hours before us! lol. Kaiden did WAY better than expected on the 9 hr (10 hrs with 2 kids) road trip. And Jaxton of course slept the whole way, waking only 3 times to eat!

Most of the drive was through beautiful Montana!

We got to my Grandparents house at 8 pm and settled on in.

Grandma Michael loved getting this boy to smile.

The next day Darren introduced Kaiden to a 4-wheeler and it seemed Cupid had struck! lol. Seriously this boy LOVES 4- wheelers! He even screams "weeeeee" and "faster! faster!". For the next few days this boy REFUSED to go inside! From the time he woke up until the time we put him to sleep either he was on a 4-wheeler or he was asking for one, "ride?" "vroooom vrooooom?". It was the very first words out of his mouth each morning and Darren was all too willing to take him for some rides.

Of course we didnt just have 4- wheelers at my grandparents.
We had dune buggys too!

And wagons!

Grandpa Mark was always outside with Kaiden. Look at that view!

And tractors! He LOVED the tractor!

Riding with Grandpa Michael

Kaiden and Clarissa riding with Grandpa!

Kaiden riding with our cousin, Fireman Dave!

And my cousin brought his daughters pink Barbie Jeep, which was a HIT with all the kiddos! Hahaha!

Darren kept himself busy in the early mornings and early evenings by fishing in the creek down below. And he got REALLY lucky, catching quite a few German and Rainbow Trouts! Of course he had a blast!

My brother, sister and my sister's beau, Coby joined us friday morning after driving all night from SLC! (My mom flew in later that afternoon!) It was a blast hanging out with them. One night the 5 of us escaped with a few 4-wheelers and took a trail all the way to the top of a mountain and let me tell you there were some STEEEEEEP parts where I honestly didnt think the 2 of us would make it up. The view was totally worth it though!

The view was beautiful!

Kissy Kissy!

The siblings!

Ashlea and Coby

They all went fishing too! Darren caught the most fish and Ashlea caught the biggest! She's always had the best of luck!

Kaiden had LOTS of kids his age to play with! Clarissa is my cousin and is 2 months older than him, Cody was just adopted and sealed to my aunt during the reunion in the Spokane temple, and my cousin Jason has a little boy Zach that is 2 weeks older than Kaiden! He had fun with all the kids his age but preferred to play on the toys with wheels.

At one point Kaiden wasn't on a toy with wheels (this was VERY rare) and decided to get all dirty in the dirt mound! He is a boy so of course he had fun playing in the dirt!

He had a blast playing in the dirt pile, until Darren showed up on this thing and wanted yet another ride.

Like I said his favorite thing to do was ride on the 4-wheelers and one day Darren wanted to take him down a bumpier road so we strapped Kaiden on his back. He returned PASSED OUT and for the rest of the vacation, minus one day, he took his naps on the 4- wheelers. Haha!

Heading out, wide AWAKE!

Passed OUT! lol

My Grandparents have 2 big dogs, Tilly and Lyla! Kaiden loves big dogs! The bigger the better, he is NOT shy!

Kaiden playing with the twins, Preston and Amelia.

Friday was the night before the BIG Michael reunion up at Michael Family Park with ALL of the extended relatives, so my aunts and uncles busted out all of the genealogy books they had put together. It was fun to learn about my ancestors, but mostly I skipped through all the names. Haha! Hey, we'll be having more kids and Im always looking for ideas!

The siblings, minus Kathy, looking at genealogy.

On saturday we were planning to leave for Michael Family Park, but it began raining and Darren and I decided not to go. Instead my parents took us and Derek, Ashlea and Coby out to eat at a local Mexican restaurant. And for dessert we walked across the street to a cupcake cafe! Delicious!!!!

The Cupcake Cafe!


Holding hands =)


Then of course we had to get family pictures in!

Darren and I were planning to leave monday morning but my parents invited us to caravan with them to Spokane and stay the night. I figured 2 hours off our 9 hr drive would be nice and the extra time with my parents would be great so thats what we did!

Jaxton concked out!

Kaiden being a good boy during the long car ride.

We left Spokane at 9:30 am and got home at 7 pm and since Kaiden had spent all day in the car we decided we better let him stretch his legs at the water park for an hr. He had fun but was so worn out from all the fun. We headed on home. The best part was when we got home some people were selling tamales door to door and we bought some, so I didn't even have to cook dinner! Haha.

Father's Day!!!

Well Darren hit the jack pot this week with an Anniversary and Father's Day! This year he picked out a really nice back pack for his present which he used on his fishing/ camping trip!

And as a special surprise for him I got this idea off line.

I bought the wooden letters and modge podged them. I was planning on taking the pictures on my own while Darren was away but Brooke offered to give Jaxton a lil photo shoot and we were able to slip them in! Darren was in the next room while we were taking these pics and had NO idea! He was really excited about it! I bought the frame to go on his desk! =D

We LOVE Our Daddy!!!!!!

Happy Anniversary!

June 16th is Darren and I's anniversary! yay!!! It was a really nice and relaxing day the only thing I would have changed, if I could have, would have been the weather. lol. (I cant believe its still cold in the middle of June!) I talked Darren into sleeping in! (Since Kaiden has been in his toddler bed he goes to bed between 8-9 pm and wakes up at 9 am. I dont know how I feel about that yet....) It was nice to just snuggle with my honey for a few extra hours! Until Kaiden woke up and then he joined us in bed and we all watched Jimmy Neutron for a bit. It was a great family cuddle time in mom and dad's bed! Then Darren left for school and I thought I'd take Kaiden to the park! As I walked outside to load up the kids in the car, I turned right on around. It was freezing! Of course you can't say the "buh bye" word around Kaiden without actually taking him somewhere. He throws a fit and looks so sad and is just down right depressed until we leave. So I grabbed our hoodies and we ventured to Wal-mart. lol. Where I found some awesome Winnie the Pooh fabric! Right now Kaiden is sleeping on a harder mattress thats ideal for newborns and babies and we just ordered him a new softer mattress and a toddler pillow! So I decided I would sew him a new bedding set! I always get so excited and pumped when I start a new project! The best part is that Ive seen the exact same fabric at Porter's for double the price! Yay for saving!


When Darren got back from school we decided we better take Kaiden back outside to get his wiggles out! He's gotten way too used to going to the park everday! lol But since the weather was still cold we took him to a Playplace and chilled for an hour or so. Afterwards we were passing by this burgers and shakes placec called Sammy's. Ive always wanted to eat there but always forget its here. So we ate there for dinner (it was okay) and ordered their famous shakes for dessert! Ohhhhhhh my goodness! Their shakes are DELICIOUS! I ordered the Red Velevet Cupcake shake and they honestly throw a WHOLE cupcake, frosting and ALL into a blender with vanilla ice cream. Wow! That cannot be healthy but it was sure scrumptious! lol I'll be taking my dad, a fellow Red Velvet Cake lover here next time he visits!


When we got home we put Kaiden down for bed and Darren began packing for his fishing/camping trip. He was planning on leaving the next morning with his brother Skyler. Like I said, it was just a nice relaxing day! I loved it! And I love my honey!

While Darren Was Gone.....
on his fishing/ camping trip, the boys and I went on our own adventure to the great Idaho Falls. This was the first time I have taken the boys by myself to IF and I love and appreciate my double stroller ALL the more! I had to exchange a frame, apparently NO ONE prints 3x5's anymore???? And it was part of Darrens Fathers Day present so I needed it ASAP. And since I had ALL day, I figured I would look around at the fabric stores in town to see if I could find anything to go with Kaidens bedding set I'm working on. We spent about 4 hours in town before heading home! And we visited lots of different stores. I was really proud of Kaiden for how well behaved he was, but then again, he loves being in his stroller. lol. We missed Darren TONS and were sure glad he came back safe saturday afternoon!

Out With the Old and In with the New!

A few days ago Kaiden figured out how to climb out of his crib. Darren and I were devasted. It was the end of a beautiful schedule where Kaiden would go to bed at 6 pm and wake up at 7 30 am. Actually Im pretty surprised it lasted this long! So Darren converted his crib into a toddler bed and Kaiden LOVES it! I dont know if its the excitement of the new bed and privlidges or what but he also decided he wanted a later bedtime. So now he's in bed at 7:00 (sometimes 7:30), which isn't the worst part. He's also wants to get out of bed at 5 am and wake us up! So we get up with him and by 7 am he's passed out. Hopefully this limbo won't last long and we can all settle into a comfortable routine. I can't really get Jaxton on a routine until I get Kaiden on one first so the sooner the better!

Sleepy Head!

Kaiden is also continuing to do really well at our 2nd round of potty training. We actually haven't been able to give him as much attention this time because of the new baby and because we spend most of our days at the park. But when we are home he's in pull-ups and uses the potty pretty well. Of course he still has a few accidents but he is a "peeing machine!" Im so proud of him!! This morning he woke up and since he's not in a crib anymore he can just climb out of bed, and he came proudly prancing into our room with smiles, waves and a pull-up! lol. He was ready to start the day. He thinks diapers are a punishment now and that Pull-ups are soooo cool! Haha of course he still prefers to run around naked. Thats our boy!



This kid cracks me up!

Yesterday we, surprise, spent our day at the park! But since Darren doesn't have school on fridays, he was able to join us! And even though it was a little chilly Kaiden wanted to play in the Splash Park. There are very few things I'll miss about Rexburg but this free mini waterpark will absolutley be one of them! I just wish the weather was warmer for more than 2 months of the year here.


Rexburg's Splash Park. We go early when there's almost no one there!

I love my Mei Tai carrier!

Jaxton loves it too! Its his new very favorite place to sleep!

Weeeee!

Splash!!!!!


When we got home we all cuddled down and watched a movie in mom and dad's bed!

My boys! (I've got 3!!!!!)

And when Jaxton started fussing guess who got to him first!? Kaiden has really stepped up and LOVES being the role of "Big Brother." Anytime he says "brudder" it makes my heart melt. I can't wait til Jaxton is old enough and they can really play together. Sometimes I will be holding Jaxton and Kaiden will run up saying "awwwwwww baby! Baby brudder!" and rub his head. haha. I always thought I'd want all girls but I think I would be totally content if we got all boys. =D And I believe I married the right man to make that happen. lol

Kissing his "brudder" to calm him. Awwwww!

Our camera has a really fun feature that takes pictures automatically when it "sees" a smile. So thus the following super cheesy picture!

And like I've said before, Jaxton has been smiling since 6 weeks old (he's now 7 1/2 weeks). And this morning I finally got a picture of it, even if it was on my camera phone and my finger was in the way..... Its still an adorable picture! He is such a happy lil boy!

Also we are proud to announce that we are officially business owners! Its so crazy to say that!!! The company is called Elite Parking and is a business that puts boots on unauthorized vehicles parked in residential parking lots. It will be alot more work added to our plates but we're willing to take up the challenge! Darren definitley has the personality for it! It will be fun to see what the business becomes in 5 years!

I've also begun the countdown to the Michael Reunion that is less than 2 weeks away! It's being held at my grandparents house this year in Coville, Washington! Darren has yet to meet some of my family so I'm excited to show off my lil family! I know Kaiden will have a blast playing outside with one of his favorite people, my dad, and all of my younger cousins. Darren has already called claimsies to the river for fishing. lol. Of course! As for me, I'm just happy enjoying the company of my hysterical family! Gah!! I could explode with excitement! And a few days after we get back is Jaxton's baby blessing so then we get to be surrounded by Darren's family too! This will be the best summer yet!

Kaiden is such a big boy!

So last friday Kaiden used the potty 3 times! Well on saturday we spent the WHOLE day at the park and Sunday we woke up and went to church etc, so we hadn't done much potty training. So I was SHOCKED last night when I was getting Kaiden ready for bed I left him naked to get him a night time diaper and his jammies and I came downstairs and he was USING his potty! Wow! ALL on his own! I was so excited! And 10 minutes after that he ASKED to use the potty and went! He is so smart! Im hoping and praying this potty training thing will be fast. Its times like this where you can look back and really realize how awesome and rewarding parenting is!

Today Darren left early to take the LSATs! He has studied a TON and will definitley get a good, competitive score! Hopefully a good enough score to get lots of scholarships and get into a nice Texas law school! Haha, actually his top choice is in Omaha, but I won't stop suggesting Texas....... or Utah! I know we'll be happy wherever we move to, but some long decent summers, with a decent zoo and water park would be nice!
Since Darren left early to drive to Pocatello to take his test, I decided to take the boys to the park. We've been spending alot of time there and making lots of friends with the other "regulars" of the park. They also have this free, mini waterpark right there and Kaiden LOVES it! For some reason they have the water FREEZING, but even that wont keep him from playing! I even ordered an awesome new baby carrier for Jaxton! Taking walks is easy since both boys are strapped in our double stroller, but its kinda hard to chase Kaiden when he wants to play on the jungle gym. Im pretty excited about it! I never neede to use a carrier with Kaiden and was pretty surprised at all the choices out there. I got myslef a Mei Tai style carrier and will be stalking babysteals.com for a good priced Ergo for when he gets bigger. I can't wait to use it!

May Flowers!!!

This month has been so much fun! Mostly becuase the weather is starting to get nice, but its still been pretty rainy most days. You really have to take advantage of the nice days here in Rexburg because most likely it will be a few days before you get another one. So the boys and I have been going to the park quite frequently. I usually just meet up with friends and play groups but on the lucky days we get Darren and/or sno-cones! Haha! Kaiden LOVES him some sno-cones! We usually get him the flavors of Cotton Candy. Its great because half of it gets all over his shirt and I throw it in the dirty laundry and then my laundry room smells like Cotton Candy.

This month we also went to Utah TWICE!
The first trip we went down and saw my Grandma Nonie and she got to meet Jaxton for the first time! Also my Aunt Stacie, Uncle John and Cousins Whitney and Hannah, my Brother Derek and Niece Mercedes got to meet our lil man. Everyone LOVED him! How could they not!?

Grandma Nonie and Sadie Bug!

Sadie and Kaiden were hilarious together! She's about 3 1/2. Sometimes they got along and sometimes they didnt. They were pretty funny to watch!

Cousins blowing bubbles!

On a really nice day we went to the zoo with Derek, Sadie, Hannah and her beau Dan. Kaiden loved the zoo! The zoo has a new theme of dinosaurs, so all throughout the park they had huge dinosaurs that moved and blinked and some even shot out water. Kaiden thought the dinosaurs were the coolest thing there!

We got tickets to ride the carousel and the whole time we were in line Kaiden was exclaiming "Oh Boy! Oh Boy!" This is his new favorite saying and we crack up everytime he says it.

Derek and Mercedes!

We also got tickets for Kaiden and Darren to ride the train!

Later that day my grnadma Nonie cooked us all a BIG family dinner which is so nice becuase its not very often we get to taste her fine cuisine! One night my mom watched Kaiden while Darren, Jaxton and I went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory!!! MY FAVORITE! What a surprise! And as usual it was delicious! All in all it was a great weekend even if Darren had to work a little by hanging up pictures in my mom's new place. (We still hadnt even hung up our own pictures! lol)

THe view from my mom's plce! BEAUTIFUL!

Well 2 weeks go by and one lazy thursday afternoon Kaiden and I decided that Daddy had been working pretty hard at school so we better surprise him with a delicious treat! So we whipped up a batch of his favorite cookies, Grandma Gae's sugar cookies!

Momma's little baker!

Rolling out the cookie dough (with an eat tucked in) lol

And right when we were about to mix up the frosting, Darren came home with a "treat" for us! "You guys wanna go to Salt Lake this weekend? I have 4 days off." Well of course! lol. And he was adamant about us leaving THAT night. So I quickly got ready, tidied up the house, and packed all of us up. Yes, its only a 3 1/2 trip (without kids) but it was pretty exciting what with Kaiden throwing up in the car not 45 minutes into the trek. We cleaned it up but we were stuck with the barf smell the rest of the trip. lol. The best part was helping Darren stay awake the whole time. We were both pretty tired but a few rounds of "The Alphabet Game" kept us up and laughing the whole way! We arrived around midnight but of course Kaiden wasn't done being sick. The poor kid didnt even go to bed until 2 am and then decided 6 am was an appropriate wake up time for all of us. Haha. Derek had Mercedes again this weekend so her and Kaiden got to play again. She taught him words like "mine" and he would steal food right out of her hand. And they both fought over the rocketship ride on toy. lol. They are pretty funny! This trip was more relaxing and we even ordered pizza from the legendary Pie Pizzeria, my favorite un Utah! Hooray!


When we got back we decided we'd give potty training another go with Kaiden. We bought ourselves a Sam's Club Membership and stocked up on Pull-Ups. (Well that wasnt the only reason we got it but the diapers in bulk sure are nice!) In the mornings he would wake up and I'd put him in a Pull-Up and ask him every 30 mins or so if he wanted to use the potty, to which he always got excited and said " Essssssss!" He would sit on the potty and make a "pssssssssssssssss" sound and then would say "All Done!" and I'd take him off and praise him for sitting on the potty like a big boy. We only did this from the time he woke up until his nap time. On the THIRD day he decided he would go in the potty on his own!!! This for me was SUPER exciting and rewarding! Later I sat him on his potty while we watched Sesame Street and he went 2 more times! His incentive: Otter Pops! This boy LOVES Otter Pops! lol We'll see if this method continues to work well. I hope to have him PT by the end of summer.


Jaxton has also passed some awesome milestones! He has been sleeping by himself in his bassinett. He use to sleep in my arms, so progress! He also hasnt been much of a binky baby and successfully slept through the night without the need for his binky! He still sleeps away most of the day and sleeps through the night with only 2 quick, 5 min feedings. I feel so blessed to have 2 great kids who have slept so well, becuase I LOVE my sleep. He also gave us his first, true smile! He is so adorable! I can't wait for the rest of the family to meet him at his baby blessing!