Halloween Happiness

Caden and Dallin received a Halloween package today from Grandma and Grandpa in New York. Caden was so exicted, he could hardly wait to dig right in!

He was especially exicted about the Halloween flashlight that plays spooky sounds. He is always trying to steal Daddy's flashlight, so it was a perfect gift!


He also got some sweet new coloring books! Caden is just starting to enjoy sitting down using his very own crayons. They're the "twisty" kind of course, because he tries to eat them. He's already put them to good use!


A final Halloween surprise was a book with Elmo playing basketball. Caden loves basketball! You can see his delight as he realizes the book is all HIS! He is mouthing the word "hoop" to those that are wondering...



Dallin loved the special gifts as well, but took a particular liking to the Halloween candy bag. A sweet tooth like his mommy! He enjoyed a good game of peek-a-boo with it!
Finally, I told Caden to give Grandma and Grandpa his best "thank you" pose. When he matter of factly told me "no", I bribed him with an icee. This is what I got...

THANKS FOR THE GREAT PRESENTS GRANDMA AND GRANDPA!

Dallin at 4 months

Our little guy is 4 months old today! He is very close to rolling over and has started eating "solids." With a little oatmeal in his nighttime bottle, he usually sleeps until 5:30 or 6 am. I REALLY like that part of him growing up! He is still handsome, happy, and plump! He weighs in at 16 lbs even and is 25 inches long. He is really starting to notice his big brother, who can always seem to get a smile out of him! A few of Dallin's favorite things are: looking outside, getting tickled, pulling Mommy's hair, watching Caden, talking, bath time, being a "big boy" with Daddy, eating, and being naked! We love our little Dallin!

Pumpkin Carve-Off 2008

We hosted the 4th Annual Ramirez Pumpkin Carve-off at our house this weekend. The rules were simple- Bring your own pumpkin and Bring it on! We enjoyed a frightfully delicious feast and the company of one another!
Jaden, Chandra, Ashley, Caden, Justin, Jaela, Amara, and Buckabizzle
Jalen, Tata, Marissa, Nana, Leara, Stacia, Jaren, Lauren, and Jennell
Aunt Ashley helping Caden dig in!
Megan, Kristen, and Mason
Check out some of the creative carvings!
Laurie's Cat and Justin's Witch
Caden's Goblin (so appropriate...!)
Marissa, Lauren, and Kristen's
Dallin's Happy Face and Chandra's Spider web
David's Witch
Caden blowing out all the candles!
We only had one small mishap, when Justin's brother, David, cut right through his finger!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The Great Pumpkin

We took the boys to a pumpkin patch this morning to pick out some perfectly round pumpkins. Caden was more interested in the tractors, quads, and abundance of rocks to throw that he didn't pay much attention to anything else. He did try to eat a random gourd. Dallin slept the whole time. But Justin and I had fun! I just love the "fall" colors!

Caden delights over the gourd.

Caden samples the gourd.

Too much excitement for Dallin!

Daddy and Caden

Mommy and Dallin

Man's Best Friend...

Most people cringe when they ask what kind of dog we have and the response is, "A pit bull." Trust me, it wasn't a decision we came to easily. I remember when Justin approached me 2 years ago and suggested we get a dog. I was thinking a cute little frilly dog, or maybe even a family golden retriever or labrador. He had a different idea. I said "No" right off the bat and there was zero room for discussion. I was 3 months pregnant and imagining a rabid dog snapping at my firstborn. Then Justin started watching The Dog Whisperer and reading books about how to train family dogs. I came to realize that if you invest the time to raise a disciplined, obedient dog, any dog can be a family dog. I reluctantly agreed to give it a try. We brought "Blaze" home and immediately fell in love. He was such a cute puppy!

Justin did all the things that "Cesar" suggested and has really raised an obedient, well-behaved dog. I give him all the credit. He gets along great with kids and Caden just adores him. I love to watch the two of them just roll around together. I'm not so excited when Blaze kisses Caden IN the mouth, but what can you do? I've actually heard a dog's mouth has less bacteria than a human's. Is this possible? I've seen the dog eat his own you know what in the backyard. Hmmm. Anyways, here are some fun pictures of Caden and Blaze having some best friend fun.

This one is from a while ago, but it's so cute. Waiting for Daddy to get home..




If you look closely, you can see the dog actually has its toungue in its nose. Wild.

For the Love of Shoes...

You might think Caden has inherited his love of shoes from his Mommy. While I do love a new pair of shoes like the rest of us, it's the Daddy in this family that owns the most shoes. Sneakers, dress shoes, flip flops.. you name it. The closet has been taken over with Justin's shoes. They have even spilled over into plastic storage bins in the garage.
Genetically, our children cannot escape shoe love. Caden loves to put on my work shoes after I've slipped them off to relax on the couch. We've gotten some good laughs as he's learned to master walking in heels. He enjoys wearing his "church shoes" any day but Sunday. He also gets a kick out of Daddy's running shoes. This morning I went into his bedroom to check on him, and I found him asleep with one random shoe on. They are actually shoes for next summer that he must have dug out of the back of his closet and snuck in bed with him the night before! Here are some pictures of Caden showing a little shoe love...

Check me out!

Ready for work!

Dreaming of a sea of shoes... (ignore the random "teeth marks" on the crib. i don't understand it, either)

Daddy's sneakers.. those are some big shoes to fill!

How do I look in these!?

And So It Begins...

As the mother of boys, I know there are certain realities that are inevitable. Bruises and broken bones, motorcycles, strange insects, sports, missed toilet seats... the list goes on and on. Although Caden is only 19 months old, training has already begun in many of these areas. He had his first motorcycle ride at 4 months old. He fell asleep the other night enthusiastically yelling "football" over and over again. He ate his first bug before he could walk and he tries to catch crickets and spiders with his bare hands. It's already happening....
After a motorcycle ride with Dad, the boys spent some time hanging out in the garage. Caden is always warned to stay away from the motorycle after their rides because it gets so hot. But as usual, curiousity beat out our warnings. What do we know anyways? Caden hopped on the motorcycle and learned what "hot" really means. Check out the war wounds...

Dallin's First Hockey Game

It's officially hockey season! There's a liveliness in our house that's only here this time of year.. or maybe that's just from my perspective. Growing up near Buffalo, NY, you plan things around the Sabres games. I have endless memories of my family gathered around the television rooting on the guys, yelling at the refs, and cheering for a good fight. My older brother played hockey for 11 years and my dad coached. We did lots of traveling to support them and I really developed a love for the game. Moving to Arizona, I quickly learned that hockey is a foreign activity. I couldn't believe it when Justin told me he'd NEVER been to a game. Tragedy! I happily obliged and took him to a few games. Although games in Phoenix are not as loud and enthusiastic as the ones in Buffalo, it's still fun to be in the arena and watching them play. I'm grateful to have a husband who is willing to get excited and learn about the things I like. He even joined our family's Fantasy Hockey League this year! What a sport! We took Caden to a few games last year, and he seems to enjoy watching "hayee" on our NHL ticket. So we decided to get a Coyotes season ticket mini-pack this year to get the boys even more excited. Our first game was a blast and both boys were really good. Go Coyotes and Go SABRES!!

Dallin's very first game! He held on almost the whole time, but eventually fell asleep in the middle of the third period.

Our Fatty Man Eats

Dallin is officially our Fatty Man. Don't get me wrong, I love getting lost in his little rolls. His chubby cheeky and thunder thighs are the cutest... But there comes a time when a mom can't keep up with the demands of a hungry, growing boy. And then we know its time for solids! Today we gave Dallin some rice cereal and he ate it like a champ. I'm hoping it helps fill him enough to actually sleep through the night! Does anyone know when that generally starts happening? I know it varies from baby to baby, but I feel like Caden was already sleeping through the night by this age. Anyways, here are a couple pictures of Dallin enjoying his first solid feeding!

What is this? This is not right...!

I love this stuff!