a whole new world

~chasing the pigeons outside of City Hall


I finally have a chance to sit down and write about everything that has transpired over the past two weeks. I have a glass of vino in one hand, and I'm enjoying the crazy beautiful snow falling outside. I'm sure most people are over snow come may, but we are simply loving every morsel. Ask us next year, and we may have a different answer. The past two weeks have been wonderfully exhausting, exciting and emotionally draining all wrapped up with a pretty bow! We are just now sitting back and processing all of our thoughts about the amazing friends we said our goodbyes to, and the promise of excitement over what lies ahead for all of us in our new home.


~snow fall on the tree outside our place

This move with our little man and two furbabies (let's not forget our sweet little fishies, Angel and Jose who sadly did NOT make the journey, they decided they were over it sometime after Vegas)was an absolute adventure! We had decided that Kaden and I would fly to Denver, as Kaden is not a huge fan of long car rides. Kaden absolutely adores airplanes, and i thought he would love the flight. I was wrong. For the first 20 minutes of the flight, he screamed in absolute terror, there was nothing I could do to soothe him. In fact, I started crying with him at one point. Thank goodness it was not a full flight, and we had the row in front of us, behind us, and the people next to us move away from my screaming child. We had a layover in Phoenix and as I held my breath for the second flight, my little man actually enjoyed himself and smiled and danced on my lap the whole way. Thank goodness! Back in LA, Chad's brother Brian came out to help with the tought part of the move. So thankful for Brian and all that he went through to help us get to our new home! The morning that they were getting ready to leave, little Simon escaped and went MIA for a little over two hours. Luckily, they found him and were off on their journey!

My Dad came out from NY to help us make the journey, and drove my car to Colorado. We absolutely loved having him with us, and he was a huge emotional support to me during those scary first few days in Colorado when I was thinking Whoa....did we just do this. We had already found an apartment online (I do not recommend this in the future for those moving somewhere new!)and I was a bit scared to see the place. On the inside, it is a cute little place, but my neighbors are some characters....on a MUCH different scale than those crazy characters you see in Los Angeles. Thank goodness for the beauty of a nine month lease, which is what we signed with this place.


~my dad riding in the backseat with Kaden and his super BFF "MO", gifted from Poppy.

We stayed with Mamaw and Papaw for the first week and were spoiled rotten with their incredible house, amazing views, and not to mention the wonderful company! Kaden starting eating like an absolute horse while we were there, and so far, he hasn't stopped eating pretty much everything in sight. Mamaw explained that it has something to do with the altitude, that most people eat more and sleep more. The first part is definitely true, the latter not so much for our little guy.





Our first night in our new place, Chad had a horrible pain under his eye that steadily got worse as the night went on. Chad has been through so much with his health in the ten years I have known him, and I could tell this was no little pain for him. He decided he wanted to go to the hospital and we got ready to wake Kaden up to take him to the ER. We didn't know exactly where we lived, let alone where the nearest hospital was, and had no internet connection to find one. It was past midnite and we didn't want to disturb anyone, so we called 911 and asked them for directions to the nearest hopsital. They did a CAT scan and found that Chad had fluid in his sinuses and that hopefully within a few days it would drain. They loaded him up on crazy meds and sent us on our way, but not after Kaden made friends with several homeless people waiting for friends in the ER waiting room. That little guy makes friends with everyone!


~furbabies keeping each other company on top of their condo

We have been enjoying being tourists in our new city, and look forward to all our the adventures to come. Colorado is so difficult to explain. It truly is one of the most beautiful places I have ever come across....the sky is unlike anything you will find anywhere. Even when it is cold here, it doesn't feel like REAL cold, just a little on the chilly side. I feel so lucky to call this place home, and I can't wait for what's around the bend.


~so cool...you can rent bikes from these little help yourself bike booths.


~first sip out of a water fountain...so crazy you can actually drink the tap water here, and it's yummy.


~sliding down the "bacon slide" with a helping hand from daddy


~playing with some new friends in cherry creek mall

Happy 16 months Kaden!

Dear Kaden,

Today was a rough start to your birthday. This morning, at your usual wake up time (5am, don't you think 6am might be a little more civilized? Let's work on that buddy!), you decided that you did not want to wait for mommy to roll over and come get you, you dove out of the crib onto the hardwood floor, and mommy just about had a heart attack. Thankfully you were not hurt, but mommy has never been SO excited to move into a place that has CARPETS! Let's try to save the daredevil stunts until you are a wee bit older, k buddy?

This past month you truly became a little boy, and mommy has been struggling to remember what it was like when you were just a baby! It seems so long ago now. You are such a compassionate little man, so tender and sweet with others. You absolutely love to hug and blow kisses to just about anyone, even random strangers at Target are lucky to get a kiss and a wave from you.

You are a little explorer. Walking has made you want to go on mini adventures everywhere that you go. The little pitter patter of your footsteps is a sound I will treasure. We bought you your first pair of walking shoes mid-march, and now it is May 1st and you have already outgrown them! You have these precious little chubbo feet that just keep growing and growing! You love to dance and your favorite song of the moment is If You're Happy And You Know it, Barney style. Stomping your feet gets you every time. You are so excited that you have learned about where your NOSE is and you love to point it out and say "Nooooooooose". It's ridiculously sweet. You are mastering eyes and nose at the moment.

You absolutely LOVE going to the park. The park near our house has a basketball court, and your favorite thing is to try to sneak onto the court and grab one of the balls. You could watch the big boys playing forever...it's like you're studying their techniques! You also just mastered the slide...you go down all by yourself! You are so sweet with your friends....tonight your buddy Dreyvin came over with Shyla and Aunt Vicky to say goodbyes, and you would not stop hugging Dreyvin. If you were'nt hugging him you were following him around, right on his heels (pics below!).


On Monday we are taking a very big leap, and beginning our new chapter in Colorado! There are always going to be those times in your life, when you are making big transitions or changes, and you start to feel scared or anxious...just keep hangin on. Change is essential to growth. Without a doubt, I know you will love it there, and be SO happy, but I am having a hard time swallowing how scary the adjustment phase might be! At times it will be difficult, but I know that it is going to work out. You are the bravest person I know, and truly my inspiration. We are just going to have to all hold hands, and take a big LEAP! one, two, three...set...GO!


I love you!
your mommy

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