bye bye pacific

I have been incredibly neglectful of this blog and I feel awful about it. This move that we are about to embark on has made my to do list three times longer than normal each day, combined with the horrific realization that my work computer's hard drive had crashed, which is my favorite place to write kaden's blog!

Kaden is growing by the second, it is absolutely incredible to hear the words that come out of his mouth, to watch the changes and new skills he learns everyday, and to watch him become more and more kind and compassionate with every little thing he learns. He is truly the most incredible little boy!

So we took him to Malibu one last time, thinking that maybe THIS might be THAT time that he would fall in love with the calmess and peacefulness of the ocean...and whether or not it was for him, we may never know, but it truly was an emotional experiece for mommy and daddy. Some people go to church, some go to cemetaries, but for us, that is where our heaven lies. It will have new meaning for us once we are a distance away from it, and I think we will be able to cherish the power of it's
energy.










I absolutely love this video...kaden has never been a huge fan of the ocean, I think the loud crashing of the waves is a little on the scary side for him at this point. Which is why I was stunned when he started strolling down to the water's edge, in fact even running toward it at some points, just completely driven by curiosity. What an incredible mind that little guy has!



My brother and wonderful sister in law had given us an incredible gift...a gift certificate to Abuelitas, which is where we had our *meet and greet* the night before our wedding. It was the second time we had been back there since the wedding, and not only was it fantastically yummy, it is by far, one of the most serene spots for us in Los Angeles.

bunnies, peeps, eggs and....peacocks?

~having a little conversation with his bunny friend

This was Kaden's first easter that I felt we could really DO something...last year I dressed him up in the quintesential bunny ears and had a ridiculous photo shoot. This year, he wasn't having it. So instead, we packed his easter basket full of some of his little favorites, packed the eggs chock full of yogurt melts, bunny crackers and cheerios, and did a little easter egg hunt for him!

I feel horrible that we didn't take more pictures easter morning, we were so wrapped up in the video, that we completely forgot about the camera!


These videos came out SO dark, in part because they were taken at 5am and we are all slow waker uppers, so we only had limited lighting on. Oh, that, and the fact that Chad has already packed almost all of the lighting in the living room. I swear he and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to preparing for moves. He is prepared WAY in advance (our salt and pepper shakes are also packed), and I like to save everything till the very last minute!

We did a little easter egg hunt for Kaden, and as you can see, some of them were a little easier than others!


Like many holidays in the restaurant world, Chad was forced to work on Easter Sunday. Kaden and I got to spend the day with one of his favorite girlfriends, Stacey! Since we are counting down the weeks until I am no longer a Californian, I have suddenly turned into a crazy tourist! I feel there is so much that I haven't tasted in this incredible city, and I want to attempt to squish in as much as possible in the time we have left. We decided to check out the Los Angeles Arboretum and we had a perfect day! It is an incredible widlife sanctuary and botanical garden and home to a gang of gorgeous peacocks! They were incredible to see so close up, I now have a total crush on this beautiful bird.

here are some of the highlights..

~kaden being a curious little monkey



~this one had the most incredible train!












~kaden seemed annoyed that this peacock was cleaning up his spilled crackers








Mamaw came on her very last visit to LA last week (or at least while we are living here!), and got to do some quality bonding with the little man while we took some of our favorite souls from our LA life on a farewell camping trip in Malibu! Chad and I have always loved this spot, and it was so much fun to share it with people we love. Good times were had by all, and I only shed minimal tears!I meant to post about it last week...but better late than never! Big thanks to Mamaw for watching Kaden so that we could have a grown up night!


~kaden and mamaw playing on the swings


~saying goodbye to our favorite camping spot with our amazing friends




~my amazing mandybobandyhead and jeff made the trip down from San Fran, with their car overheating and leaking antifreeze the whole way. so grateful they made it!


~boys from battle flask!






~chair that was sacrificed in the fire




~stacey and vicky chatting on the man made love seat in the rocks




~ jeff and tim whipping up the most amazing french toast and eggs the next morning....BLISS!


~a perfect way to say goodbye to lala land

Happy 15 Months Kaden!

Dear Kaden,

As Mommy loves to say to you, "How big is Kaden"....and your arms shoot straight up in the air, you are SOOOOOO BIG! I say it every month, but it is amazing to see you grow, and to grow so FAST! It seems more apparent with each passing day that you are no longer a baby. Last month you took a few little steps, and then you went back to crawling instantly. It was like you were completely not interested in the whole walking thing at all! I really think you were storing up some energy knowing that once you started, you would not stop. And that is exactly what happened! You took off and just kept on going! At first you would walk while flapping your hands at the same time, like a little bird. Now you are a multi-tasker and you can drink water, bounce a ball, and even attack the cats.

You make friends wherever you go....people just love to be around you. You love your independence but you absolutely love to make others laugh. You are super affectionate and love to give hugs and blow kisses. Lately, I've even noticed you are starting to get in touch with your imagination! Today you fed me some soup with a sandbox shovel and bucket. You looked so proud! You also love to point out where your nose is, and once in a while other noses too. You absolutely love to have your feet rubbed, (just like your mama)and it is one of the few ways that I can soothe you on an annoying car ride, besides a really animated version of Old McDonald of course. You have about 10 teeth now and 2 are humungous molars that are fiercely trying to cut through your poor little gums. You are such a tough cookie. You let us know when it is bothering you, and then seconds later you are giggling that fabulous little giggle of yours!

Your favorite toys are big boy toys....those would be daddy's guitar, daddy's bass and some of daddy's drums that he brought home for the first time....you are incredibly smitten with those! You are something else Kaden! I know that babies are a product of their environment, but you have something very special that we didn't teach you.



~looking a little like a mini gene hackman with that crazy hair of yours


~so loving your triangle

In one month we will be moving to Colorado! I'm nervous and excited, and overjoyed that you are going to be around so many people that love you. Because of this move, mommy is working like a madwoman, and this blog entry isn't going to be super long, as I'm falling asleep at the computer typing this.

I love you Kaden!
Love,
your mommy