you say goodbye, and I say hello!

~still loving his valentine's balloon

Kaden is absolutely loving waving hello and goodbye to just about everybody and everything....even when he is crying and completely exhausted or upset about something, there will most likely be a wave and some sort of closure, whether it be with a person, a total stranger or an item or toy. And if that weren't precious enough, he has this new little smile that he pairs with the wave and it is sure to make my heart melt everytime. He tilts his head back a little, squints his eyes and grins so that you can see each and every crazy tooth cutting through! Why do I not have a picture of this? Coming soon....I just thought I would write this blog as a bit of a teaser!

The title of this blog post is from a beatles song that my Mom used to love to sing all the time. I catch myself singing it all the time to him whenever he goes on a waving spree, and it makes me smile and think that she is singing it too.

In other big news, our plans are moving fast for our big exodus out of California! Kaden and I will be leaving on a flight out of LA on May 3rd, followed by my Dad and Chad and Brian with all the stuff. I think me and Kaden got off pretty easy, don't you think? We are excited and nervous about what lies ahead, sad to leave the wonderful souls that have crossed our paths here, but also confident in knowing that this is the best decision for us.




~kaden the little dinosaur



~kaden giving us the "all done" sign that he is finished with the swing!

We had tried to teach Kaden a few *baby signs* a few months back, just to give him another way to communicate. I didn't want to teach him too many, but just the basics. Well, he just thought I was hilarious everytime I tried to teach him the sign for *more* he would just crack up. A friend reccommended that I try showing him the dvd Baby Signing Time just to teach him the basics. After just watching it a few times, he was signing *more* all by himself when eating, saying *all done* and doing the sign for *fish*. These dvds are mesmerizing for little ones, and I actually love watching all the babies and little ones too, they are too cute! The only negative would be that the songs will be stuck in your head for days.


`playing basketball with daddy







One of many things that I dislike about being so far from home is when someone is hurting or in trouble at home, and you feel completely helpless being so far away. My Grandma B had a stroke a few days ago and is in the hospital recovering. These are the times when I wish we could live closer. Were staying positive and sending all our love and hugs and kisses across the miles to you Gram! WE LOVE YOU!


Grandma meeting Kaden for the first time~

Random Wednesday

some randoms for wednesday!


~this one is my new favorite shot of my two loves.

We FINALLY got a video of kaden doing a little jig! He absolutely loves to dance all the time, but we never have the camcorder around. I cringe when I see the beginning of this video when he holds onto his ear....he has had so many ear infections in the past few weeks, I am amazed at how he can still smile and be so joyful when he has such an annoying pain in his ear!




~changing diaper on the back of my passenger seat...who knew the vibe came with a diaper changing table.




kaden snugglin up with this awesome duckie towel from Natalie and David







~kaden won't go to sleep without his kitty friend...could it be we FINALLY have a lovey? I tried several different blankies and stuffed animals, but this one he chose himself.


~his new favorite fort...the back of daddy's truck!


~trying out his *mad* look




~his other favorite towel from mamaw and papaw!

happy valentines day!

I took this picture over a month ago, with the intent to put it on valentines day cards for everyone.....the program I was trying to make them with was not playing nice, so unfortunately they never got made!

Valentine's day was super low key, as it usually is for us Millers each year. Neither Chad nor I are huge fans of this hallmark holiday, but I do love the premise of a day to celebrate love. We had a few ideas on what to do with kaden today for our celebration of love, but sadly the little man has been feeling under the weather all weekend, so we played it pretty low key.

I made the mistake of thinking I might be able to do a little valentines day photo shoot with kaden this weekend....big FAIL! It's not nice to have photo shoots when someone is under the weather, and kaden seems to have outgrown my idea *fun photo opps*


I think this is the only one that he may not be screaming in...


oh and this one


*Mommy, if you don't stop taking pics, I am going to hit you with this crazy lollipop thingy!

We started off with breakfast at our favorite place for breakfast, JINKYS! Chad and I used to spend loooooong mornings there when we first started dating, since it was right around the corner from my old apartment. The food is ridiculously yummy and going there always brings back so many fun memories of our early days.

Afterward, we had fun with kaden's new favorite activity....throwing clementines in the pool! We have a clementine tree that arches over the pool, and kaden loves throwing them and hearing them go PLOP!




we also wanted to go to griffith park to play, but took a detour and went to visit the horses first.




kaden wasn't too sure what to think of them...to tell you the truth I wasn't too sure either! Horses have always scared me a little. They seem like such wise and fragile animals, and oh so powerful. I tend to get a little jumpy around them, and I get a little unnerved looking into their eyes....

We had planned on feeding them, which was the whole purpose for going, but we left there after just petting a few....I think we were all a little nervous to feed them.


~playing with the balloon we got for him.

don't I know you from somewhere?

Kaden always loves to play in the mirror. We have a few mirrors around the house, and one basic full length mirror behind the bedroom door. We always make a point of plaing with him with the mirrors, but on this one occasion, kaden played by HIMSELF in a mirror and it may have been one of the most hysyerical things I have ever seen! We were over at our dear friend Farrah's house for the superbowl on Sunday, and while exploring her new apartment, kaden stumbled upon her huge mirrored closet, proceeded to play with the little boy he saw smiling and laughing at him! I really wish I had our camcorder there with us, as it was the cutest thing, and pictures just don't do it justice! He played for what seemed like forever, and then he would crawl around the corner, only to come back and surprise the little boy in the mirror! It was the sweetest thing to watch!



Kaden also has become a huge fan of CHEERS! Not the show, but clinking of the glasses. He doesn't like to drink water out of any of his various sippy cups (I have tried every single brand there is!) so we have been trying to teach him that after you *cheers* you get to take a drink. While watching the super bowl, we practiced our *cheers*.....see below!







~kaden with his super bowl outfit in honor of The Who performing...

sharing

kaden sharing his favorite monkey rattle with his best friend simon

Happy Superbowl weekend everybody! In honor of foodie friday (which I think I may have forgot about for the last few weeks...oops!) I thought I would post the yummy recipe that we are making for sunday's game.



Taco Soup

1 (approx 1.3 lb) pkg boneless chicken breasts or thighs, or 1 pkg Chicken-less Strips (vegetarian option)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
1 (15 oz) can corn, or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 cups chicken broth (optional; omit for a thicker stew)

Your choice of toppings:
Tortilla chips
Fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Avocado
Fresh chopped tomatoes
Chopped green onions or red onions
Jalapenos or chiles

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook onions for 5 minutes, or until softened.
2. Add remaining ingredients and heat to boiling. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 hour.
3. Remove chicken, shred, and return to pot. Stir and heat through before serving.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Hands-off cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 6-8

Slow cooker method: Place all ingredients into a crockpot and cook for 5-6 hours on low setting. Remove chicken, shred, and return to crockpot. Stir and heat through before serving.

And for those with little ones, I just discovered this fabulous site that has so many great ideas for creative meal ideas. Check it out here!

Happy 13 Months Kaden!

Dear Kaden,

Today you are over the hump...you are not zero any longer, and you are no longer just one year old, you have gone ove the hump into what some call *toddlerhood*. I am in denial of this, and I so badly just want to hold you in my arms and have you stay a baby for at least another year!

Your 13 month birthday started off a little rocky. You woke up and the left side of your face was completely swollen. So much so that your little eye was also swollen and seemed to irritate you. We raced you to the doctor's office only to find that your poor little face was the victim of mean monster molar that is desperately trying to cut through. It caused your gums to swell up, and even your doctor was shocked at how well you were handling it! You are such a tough little guy. You can tell that your teeth have been bothering you lately, with all the tugging on your ears and continuous drool down your chin, but you never let on just how painful it is for you!

You are learning new things every day! Yesterday at lunch, I tried to feed you carrots, and you shook your finger at me and said "uh uh uh"!!!! We have been shaking our finger for months while saying "no no no", and you wanted to give it a whirl yourself! You say so many different things, that mostly only daddy and I can decipher at this point. You and I always finish off the day talking about the moon, and just the other day, I pointed up at the amazing *wolf* moon, and you clearly said "moooooooo"! This made me soooooo happy as mommy is a HUGE moon lover! You also are completely smitten with your shows, which we try to limit to just an hour in the morning. The other morning, you crawled out to the living room, opened the doors to the armoire and pushed the power button on the tv! You are loving more and more your cuddle and snuggle time with us and this makes me soooo happy!

DRUMROLL please...............today you took 3 STEPS! Daddy was playing with you, and you just went ahead and took a few steps toward the ball that you were wanting. I am so upset at myself that I chose the moment before you did this to get a glass of water, after spending every cherished moment with you during the entire day, THIS was the moment that you chose to take your first steps???

Each and every day, I learn something new from you. I knew that you would change my life completely, but I never would have thought that you would teach me so much about simple everyday blissful pleasures and the true meaning of JOY! I love holding your hand and watching you discover the world.

I love you!
love,
your mommy


We took you to Shane's Inspiration playground in Griffith Park on Sunday, and thought you may want to ride on the Merry-Go-Round. You were staring and pointing at it, so we thought we could give it a whirl!

here you are rethinking your excitement about the horses




and here you are trying to figure out how to jump off

First ride on the Merry-Go-Round-Big FAIL....poor baby, this is where your tortured self ended up sitting for the rest of the ride



here you are in your precious Bronco sweatsuit from Mamaw!

how cute is your little profile?




one of your new and favorite places to sit in the house


first driving lesson