So, our little man turned 2. We planned a cool little party for Caleb, trying to keep things simple but still fun for him, and it turned into a pretty fun day, although he got VERY emotional a few times. We had his birthday present all wrapped and ready the day before, and my parents had mailed him a few things also, so Saturday morning (the 28th) we let Caleb open up his birthday presents. We gave him a sprinkler/pool thing which was also the main activity for the party, and also a rag quilt that I had made a few months ago. Happily, he LOVED the blanket. That always makes a girl feel good. :)

And then the party itself went pretty well, although this was where the tears came. Before friends arrived, we set up the sprinkler thing outside, and Caleb saw it of course, and completely burst into tears when we didn't let him immediately go out and play in it. So he was crying for about 10 minutes before people even showed up. Then, once everyone was there, we did cake and ice cream, and when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him he freaked out. Literally. Lots more tears and screaming. I don't think I'm really doing the situation justice, but we got it on video, so you can all see for yourselves what went down.

Caleb loved eating his cake that mommy made in the shape of a puppy, and then all the kiddies went out and played in the water and had a great time. He even got to open more presents that his friends had brought him. It was nice that he didn't cry anymore. :) So, a big thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us, and thanks for the gifts that you gave Caleb. He had a great birthday, and we loved sharing it with you all. Enjoy the pics!

Labels: family, holiday, pictures

I turned 28 this week and I am not really one for parties and such or letting the world know. However my wife is, and she was able, through a lapse in judgment on my part, to get an email address of a colleague at work. And this is what happens when the people at work figure out it's your birthday.Here's a shot of the mayhem from a great distance. They got these things everywhere.
Up close you can see the wittiness that is my co-workers. I'm not 35, nor is it my "Birfday", but hey, it's all in good fun.
Thanks guys for a fun birfday and sweetie, you are no longer allowed to talk to any of my friends at work. Only bad things can come of this.

Labels: holiday

It's 2008!!! Hooray! And to ring in this new and glorious year, we went to a real, honest to goodness party. Our friends Nathan and Candace Hayden live 3 houses down from us, and they threw a fantastic shindig. We hung out with them and a lot of Nathan's family, played some Charades, had some fantastic food, and waited to count down the seconds to 2008. We even got to leave Caleb at home, and our good friends the Clark's were nice enough to come hang out at our house while Caleb and the Hayden's son, Garrett, were asleep upstairs. Parties are so much better without taking your kid.

Now, before anyone flips out thinking we're plastered in this picture, remind yourselves that a) we don't drink alcohol, and b) this was obviously taken post-midnight, and thus, we were exhausted. It's still a great picture, though. Happy New Year, all. May it be as wonderful as the last one. (and for more new year fun, check out the rest of the pics on our website!)

Labels: holiday

Merry Christmas Everyone! Sadly, we didn't get cards out in time this year (will next year), so we're posting a letter on our website, which luckily has a lot of pictures already on it. So, our year...well, it's been busy and fun. Early this year we did a lot of "home furnishing," purchasing a sectional couch, a piano, and an entertainment center (all off of Craig's List!), and painting the family room. It really made our house start to feel like our own, and we've also painted our kitchen and done some landscaping since then. It's been a lot of fun to get the house how we want it.

Things got a little difficult around the end of April, though, when my post-partum depression got a LOT worse. I ended up needing medication and also getting some therapy, and things were really hard for about 2 or 3 months, but medication is a WONDERFUL thing, and it definitely got better. Thankfully, PPD is something that really goes away on it's own as the baby gets older, and I was able to get off the medication in September. I figure, at least now we know for next time, and I can get meds right away.

June was exciting, because we got to celebrate Caleb's 1st birthday! He had a great time, and he loved eating his egg-free, milk-free birthday cake. And then July was our traveling month. Kenn went to Huntington Beach, California to teach a class for work, and Caleb and I went to Michigan to stay with my sister, Alissa, and her family for a week. It was hard to be away from Kenn, but we all had fun, and Kenn got to see Uncle Kent and Aunt Lee while he was in California. And then once we all got back, Kenn got a promotion at work! He was hired as part of the Web Marketing team, and the change in hours has been wonderful for everyone.

September was VERY much looked forward to, because we got to go to Utah! We stayed with Kenn's parents and got to visit BYU campus and see a TON of friends and family while we were there. It was a great vacation. And I got my MacBook that I am using right now. We love it.
Caleb really enjoyed Halloween this year, even though he really couldn't eat any of the candy, and his cave-man costume turned out great. His crazy curly hair was perfect with it. And we hosted our own Thanksgiving this year! We invited our friends Jon and Carrie Marsh to come over with their son, Alex, and we made a turkey and potatoes and everything else you can think of. It was delicious and fun and we must've run the dishwasher at least 3 or 4 times that day.

So what do we keep busy with, you ask? Kenn has been doing a LOT with this very website. He loves to make upgrades and make things work better, and he's gotten really good at writing web code. I have been busy with cross-stitching "O, Jerusalem," (no, still not done) and scrapbooking, and I got a sewing machine for my birthday, so I've made curtains and a hooded towel for Caleb, and I also spend a lot of time just taking care of him and taking care of the house. And since Caleb is eating normal food now, I've gotten really good at cooking without milk or eggs or beef or nuts. He should outgrow his allergies, but probably not until he's 2 or 3.

Caleb is growing like crazy, though. He will be 18-months-old on December 28th (Amy's parents' anniversary!) and he is talking and signing like crazy, and running all over the place. And he even got his hair cut for the first time! He needed it, and the pics are all on here.

We're celebrating our 5-year wedding anniversary today, and I can't believe it's been 5 years since we got married. We've come a long way since being a couple of crazy college kids. Now we're a couple of crazy people who have a kid. :)

We're so excited for Christmas! Caleb is really enjoying all the lights, and we think he'll love opening presents. He definitely loved the cookies we let him eat.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and enjoy this time with your families and friends. We are so thankful for the birth of our Savior, and we're grateful for the light that He is to the world. Merry Christmas everyone! We love you all and miss you!

much love,
Kenn, Amy, and Caleb North

Labels: holiday