The Garrett Family

classy clutter

2011-10-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

head over to classy clutter for a great giveaway!!!! :] Send them some love while your there!!!

www.classyclutter.blogspot.com

<3,

kelley anne

dear friends.....

2011-08-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

as you know I have two crazy kids. I value sleep.....a lot. So, sorry for the lack of bloggy-goodness. But, deal with it. No, I don't have pictures to post. I love to look at other people's blogs and read all their cute stories. I'm not a writer, never have been. But I'm indeed grateful to look at other people's blogs, and hear other stories that keep me laughing and positive. I have a great life. I love it. Sometimes my days get busy, and all the things I want to do, get replace by things I want to do......such as playing with my kids, spending time with my amazing husband, just being a good wife/mommy/person. And yes, I know both of those said things I "want" to do. But, I do want to do all of those things and more. I have my priorities set straight most days. I absolutely love to craft, but let's face it. I'm a busy girl. So, there's the truth. I can't say that I'll be better at blogging, cause that would be a lie. Or that I'll post pictures.....that will happen when I feel like it :] For now, I'm just going to say.....everyone is doing well. I am still madly in love with Meikle. I adore my two kids.....and as far as blogging goes, I'll get to it later :] I do have plans to post some fun crafty stuff coming soon.....but, I have about 50 unfinished projects that just need some finishing touches......so, expect those maybe next year. But, know that I feel blessed everyday to know that my Heavenly Father loves me. And just know that I look forward to that day that I can blog all the time, and post pictures. But, don't expect it anytime soon.....until then, peace out. :]

Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT mother's day. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and support system at home. :) Here are a few pictures from the day. We spent it at my parents house with most of the family, minus my brother(who lives in Hawaii).

Meikle was soo sweet to me on Mother's day. He let me sleep in, got the kids ready for church, made dinner, and was overall amazing!!! <3 thanks love!

All I wanted was one picture with both the kids, but Kaden was sooo sleepy/grumpy. He's been having crazy mood swings lately.....starting into the terrible 3's....

My beautiful sister and handsome brother.

My sisters little girl was singing "you are my sunshine" for me!

so frickin cute!

Sydney and I

The kids absorbed in a movie after a long day of playing.

My amazing mom and sister. Love you guys! :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful and happy mother's day!!!

our egg-citing Easter

2011-04-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

For Easter this year, we spent the day over at my parents house. We went to church in my home ward, and got to see some old friends. Then we headed back to have an egg hunt, play games, watch movies, and eat a ton.....

My boys are so darn cute! I'm one lucky lady!

The best of the "family pictures".....obviously the kids liked the eggs.

Kaden's blue steel :]

How precious is she?!

We had such an amazing time hanging out together as a family. We LOVE being together, and spent a lot of time doing just that. Not anything over the top, just chillaxin.

Easter is always a good reminder of our Savior, and along with this weekend being Easter, I went to Women's Conference for our Stake. We had a wonderful presentation of some music from Kenneth Cope, in his album, Women at the Well. It was a great way to start off the holiday weekend by having that extra reminder of our Savior. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am constantly reminded of the tender mercies of the Lord in our life, and continually feel humbled. Throughout this weekend, the common hymn was "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". I LOVE that song, and am so touched every time singing the sweet message that I know my Redeemer lives and the comfort that makes me feel. I love the Easter season, and the beautiful weather of everything blooming, and at the peak of life. A constant reminder of God's love for us, and all that He has sacrificed for us to live in this beautiful place. Life is such a blessing and I love every minute of it! :]

I hope everyone else had a beautiful Easter day filled with love, family, and it wouldn't be complete without a little candy ;-)

Spring Time Fun

2011-04-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

I was in charge of the kids so I thought they would like to play in water. They got cold with their clothes on so I solved the problem.

-Meikle

a few of my favorite things....about sydney

2011-02-24T16:34:00.001-08:00

Here's just a few of the many reasons we love Sydney....

And I promise, we do love Kaden just as much, Sydney just is in an experimental phase that we constantly are taking her picture.

Sydney tries to take off her clothes if she doesn't like them....she tried, and this is what happened :)

Sydney "helping" to clean my car....

She eats bubbles.

she loves to swing/be outside.

when the dishwasher is open, she's in it :)

these two crack us up daily.

they pretty dang cute, huh?! :)

I'm a kid now?!?

2011-02-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

Mr. Kaden Meikle turned 3 on February 1st! We celebrated with a Toy Story party and had such great time with family and friends.

We played Pin the Sheriff's badge on Woody

(I like how Sydney is wearing one of the shirts Kaden got for his party)

blowing out the candles!

the cupcakes and "goody" bags.

(we made magnets for all the kids with some toy story candies)

One of Kaden's favorite toys. A shake and go Buzz car!

one of his other favorite things.....play dough.

thanks for that.

Just kidding! :-P

He had a blast and was so excited that he could share his birthday with his good friends!

Thanks for everything! He LOVED it!

Our favorite things about Kaden:

*he LOVES to talk.....sometimes it's a little annoying, but still fun

*he has the cutest little rhaspy voice still

*he plays so well with Sydney and is the best little helper ever!

*he has such a caring heart and is so sweet

we just love him to pieces!

Kaden's favorite things:

*color: green

*food: chicken nuggets-more specific, McDonald's nuggets

*toy: bad Buzz (he got one that has the blue utility belt from Toy Story 2, and he calls him the bad buzz)

*game: checkers and sorry

*song: twinkle twinkle, lala lu, and the only exception

*movie: Toy Story 2 and Curious George

We've enjoyed having Kaden so much and he brings us joy every day! :)

JumP and sHouT!

2011-02-24T15:49:00.000-08:00

We got together with my mom while she was babysitting for my sister when she was sick, and got the kids together for a playdate. We ate at McDonald's (Kaden's favorite) and then played all afternoon at Jump and Shout in Mesa Riverview :)

Kaden had no fear climbing up as high as he could.

Sydney's favorite.....the slide!

Ashlyn burying Kaden in the mats....

Briley Mae....She would climb, and then all of the sudden start crying and come back down because she was scared...

Sydney loved this duck. She would come over and "take breaks"

4 happy kids with suckers (we had to bribe them to leave the fun playground)

Round 2

2011-02-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Sydney Alyse tends to throw up a lot....We've been battling with finding answers since the throwing up started almost 9 months ago. She eats a ton, and is always wanting to eat, but with the amount of throwing up, was losing weight very quickly. Thus beginning the process of finding answers. She went into the hospital back in October for dehydration after not holding ANYTHING down for a whole weekend. We did a few tests and were there for a week not finding out anything. She has tested positive for a few allergies to foods, but that was all we knew. So we've been doing food elimination and having varying results for some time now. She lost a pound in a week (we were checking her weight very frequently with all of the throwing up) and this alarmed her GI (gastrointerologist) to where he said we needed to admit her to the hospital again. This was a very scary moment for me as a mom and something I hope that no one goes through. Luckily, the hospital was very busy, so they told us that as soon as a bed opened, we would be going in. I say luckily, because this gave us a chance to come home, reflect and give her a blessing, all of which calmed my nerves and helped shake our fears (a little). So, we got a call from the hospital saying that they wanted to do another Scope/biopsy on Monday morning and then they were going to admit her after that to watch her closely. We had done this once before, with negative results, so this time we were just praying for answers. And they came! Sydney Sue has something called Eosiniphillic Esophagitis.......bahaha. (E.E) I laugh because if you're reading this wondering what the heck it is, those were my exact thoughts! But what it is, is basically an extreme food allergy, in which her body can't handle 7 main foods. Her esophagus over time deteriorates which causes it to swell and cause her to throw up tons. Her esophagus is basically super sensitive, and there's only certain things we can do to help her. They have her on what is called a 6 food elimination diet, even though there's 7 foods to avoid. When they checked her for this the first time, her body hadn't fully grown into it, which is why we didn't have results. But, she is allergic, or has an intolerance to wheat, soy, dairy, fish, eggs, peanuts/tree nuts, and corn. Those are the triggers for E.E, but Sydney is also allergic to oats, beef and pork. So, basically she can eat fruits, vegetables (as long as it's not corn) and chicken. She can have different grains, but we're still looking into those. But, we will be working with her doctors closely to find out which one of those is the main reason she's throwing up. So, in the next few years, we will be doing a scope/biopsy check every 3-6 months after re-introducing her to one or two of those common foods at a time. Sydney is such a sweetheart, and we have learned so much throughout this process. It has been very tough at times, and so hard/frustrating to keep positive. But through prayer, fasting, and blessings, we've been able to extremely reduce the throwing up (she's only thrown up like 3 times in 2 months.....opposed to at least 3 times a day).

She was a little upset before surgery so they gave her something to help her relax a little....

The awesome fitting gowns they had at the Phoenix Children's.....along with yummy dinner :)

Wheat/gluten free bread with turkey....

Meikle brought Subway for me....Sydney may not be able to eat wheat, but wheat/gluten free bread tastes icky ;-P

We are so grateful to have her in our lives and feel very blessed to have the good support team we do. :) Thank you to all that have been there with us and brought us meals and sent all your love and blessings to our family. We appreciate them more than you know, and our happy to report that Sydney is a trooper and she's gaining weight quickly and happily......

Welcome friends

2011-02-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

Our newest family members.....

Named by Kaden, B, G, Bing, Ging and the Shrimp was K (We're learning the alphabet, and he likes making up words with -ing)......

They LOVED their new pets....

The first feeding.... (Not knowing this, we killed 4 out of 5 with this first feeding.....we gorged them). Only Bing survived.....

Kaden really loves to help with everything, he was very cute with his new pets and took very good care of them.

Bing unfortunately died about two weeks later.....

Meikle-"O no Kaden! 4 of the fish/shrimps died! We're going to have to flush them down the toilet."

Kelley-" They are going to go to heaven."

Kaden-"Heaven's in the toilet?!"

Ooops....I tried.

halloween.thanksgiving.christmas....o my!

2011-02-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

*Just a warning, this post is super long! So, thanks for reading in advance*

Today while the kids are napping, I decided I should try and catch up on blogging, so in my attempts to blog, I started going through all of the thousands of pictures we have, and I don't have one single picture from Halloween. I don't know why, but....o well. Since Halloween was on Sunday anyways, we just stuck with trunk or treat. :) Kaden was woody, Meikle was buzz, Sydney was Jessie (I made her costume, and it was frickin adorable if I do say so myself.....I KNOW I had a picture of it.....) and I was going to try to be Bo Peep.....but, an hour before trunk or treat decided to go with Barbie (she's in all 3 toy story movies, so I tried to pull it off.....I don't know if anyone got it) So, the rest of the family looked cute, and I just got weird looks :) O well.....so, Halloween was pretty uneventful.....I went over the top with decorations, but....hey, I LOVE to decorate for Holidays :) But here are a few pictures from October :)

The weather has been up and down and up again.....but with that, we've done a TON of park days :) Here's Sydney and mommy with our friends little baby Paige.

We've been trying to grow a garden.....we have NO experience....well, I have none, Meikle surprises me everyday with a skill he randomly "knows" how to do....haha. But the kids LOVE to help.

Kaden usually always has a smile on his face.....as big as this one....while Sydney is into anything and everything....

*Moving on to November :)*

.....yet again, we have NO pictures from Thanksgiving hahahah. I don't know why, but....cool.

Anyways, it was cooler this November than usual, so we tried to find fun activities indoors....One of our favorites was our visits to Peter Piper Pizza ($5 lunch buffet.....booyah!)

Meikle and I celebrated our 4 years on the 11th as well.....although, no pictures yet again...I'm starting to see a random/weird trend here with important dates....

This trip was full of jackpots.....this was my jackpot win, first try, first game :) (Bass pro fishing game hahah)

Little miss Sydney Sue loved everything here! She ran around pointing and signing lights and clapping....

Kaden's favorite games were Ski-ball and driving the "race cars"

Kaden won a jackpot all on his own!!! On this game that you push a button to drop the ball and land it in a circle (his first try, first game)

Meikle also had a Jackpot win, so we came out with like 500 tickets. It was bizarre, but we spent all of tickets on 5 ticket army men, and 2 suckers. You can imagine my excitement of the tons of army men that are scattered around our house.....

*Six Flags*

We had the chance to go to Six Flags this year too! We were chaperones for a high school Winter Formal group that our friends Kyle and Camille hooked us up with. I've never been, and we had a chance to go a few years ago with some friends, but we were like 8 weeks pregnant with Sydney, so we missed out :/ But, we were able to go this time. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain the entire time and freezing. We luckily found a Target close and bought Poncho's, beanies and gloves. (We're sissy's) But we had a BLAST! and can't wait to go again!

Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny!

Raining like crazy.....

I'm kind of a sissy when it comes to rides, I went on almost everything, but this was my face waiting in line

Kyle and Camille :)

He's my favorite!

The jeep in front of Terminator

Lunch! :)

And goodnight Six Flags!

*Moving on to December/Christmas! :)*

We stayed home this year in our own house and had such a great time. Santa was excited this year and over-did things a little....but even Santa can get carried away....

I tried to do 12 days of Christmas kid's activities with Kaden, we did like 3 days and then it got crazy as the Season always does....

Our first craft! Gingerbread guys and gals!

Decorating the house. Don't worry, I have like 9 tubs full of Christmas stuff :)

The kids favorite decoration every year....

I love this guy!

At Bass Pro, they had this "North Pole" set up the whole month of December. Every Tuesday was kid's night, and everything was FREE :) our kind of fun! So, we went almost every week and had frequent talks with Santa :)

Shooting range at the North Pole :) Kaden loves his daddy!

We adopted a few kids when our friends went to help at Temple Lights, so we had 6 kids for a night, so I made some delicious Gingerbread cookies and we decorated the night away!

Sydney on Christmas Eve.....we had worn the kids OUT and they were both in bed before 8....

Kaden was ecstatic to put out cookies for Santa. We left out cookies, and carrots for the Reindeer, and juice. (Kaden did NOT want to leave Santa milk...) And I made him put out cookies, his idea was a hot dog.

Kaden's "bike"

Sydney wanted Kaden's bike.....hers was not as cool I guess....

All of Sydney's gifts :) Her favorite: her baby dolls

Kaden's gifts :) His favorite, his bike and toy story games

*Overall we've had a GREAT holiday season! We have a lot of blessings that we are so thankful for. A few trials that through the Lord we've been able to get through, and have taught us amazing lessons in life. We are so blessed with wonderful family and friends that have really been there for us amongst this crazyness that we call life*

Dear Darla, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're scum between my toes! Love, Alfalfa.

2011-02-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

Our little "Spanky"

Happy new year!!! :)

We celebrated it this year with Meikle's family in Safford....while the adults were playing games, this is what the kids were doing.

A few of our New Year's Resolutions:

*Have Family Home Evening regularly

*Read Scriptures as a family more often

*Enjoy spending time together without having to spend a lot of money

Love,

The Garrett Gang :)

HaPPy BiRThDaY!

2010-11-10T03:56:00.001-08:00

With all of Sydder's crazy allergies......I made these cupcakes from scratch. They were egg, nut, dairy, wheat, and soy free! :) They tasted pretty dang good though! (I was a little weirded out at first though, because they had vinegar in the recipe.....(I guess it asks like an egg would, but gross sounding).

Here's one of the few pictures I got of Sydney actually opening one of her own presents. We had a lot of friends come with their little ones, and when it came to opening presents, it was kind of a free-for-all.....Thanks for all the wonderful gifts though! (And, sorry I'm such a slacker, keep waiting for thank-you cards, I promise, I'll get them done soon)

Here's my little baby girl with her new sippy!!! She LOVES it!!! Can't believe our baby is 1 already!!! What the heck?!?!

Sydney:

*absolutely LOVES her brother.....everything he does, she wants to do

*says ma-ma, da-da, bye-bye and dog.....she has some form of word for Kaden too

*is walking like crazy!!!! She started at about 10 months and is a walking fool now!

*LOVES animals.....she see's our cat, and freaks out with squeals of excitement

*is a major Daddy's girl, and pouts anytime he leaves and doesn't take her too

*is an eating machine. She's gained 3 lbs since she got out of the hospital in a month and a half.

*loves to play with her doll. She feeds her, and helps her "eat".....the only thing is when she's done, she just throws her, like, "o, that was fun.....what else do we have".

*is such a diva. She adores shoes and constantly carries around nail polish

*hates to nap, but when I force her to nap since she's way too young to avoid that, she sleeps great!

*is still sleeping through the night.....

*finally got 3 teeth like a week ago

*want to wear skirts everyday and boots with everything!

*has such attitude....and fake pouts everyday. But, Meikle and I just look at her and tell her to stop, and she just laughs....

*is the most amazing sweet little girl we could ask for!!! We just love her to death!!!!

Thank you everyone for coming to our sweetheart's first birthday!!! We had a great turn out, and a ton of fun with everyone!!!! We love you all and feel so blessed to have such great family and friends!!!!

Free Photo Shoot!!!!

2010-10-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Alissa Melody Photography is giving away a free photo shoot!!!! :) Hooray!!! It's been a year since we've had family pictures, and would LOVE the opportunity to win!!!! :) I'm posting this so I can have the extra entry just in case.....Not sure if I can win, but, worth a shot!!! :)

$30,000 and a surgery later.....pt. 2

2010-10-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Doctors,

Thank you for being stupid at times.....I don't mean that to be rude, but, sometimes I wish you would listen to Mom's or Dad's when they bring in a concern and ask you to do something for 7 months in a row. For instance, when our little girl's tongue is not able to touch the roof of her mouth, and it makes her aspirate, leading her to throw up anything and everything, and leading us to a $30,000 hospital bill on top of the horrible sight of seeing your daughter throw up for 2 months straight.....just listen next time please :) I'm not mad, and not bitter, although this may sound a little of both. But, just step down off of your pedestal, and realize you're human talking to other humans for the well-being of a baby. I'm not saying I'm as smart as you, or that I know more than you, but.....take one for the team in admitting that doctors are wrong all the time. They do call their work a "practice". That's all. =)

Dear other Doctors/Nurses,

I LOVE that their are people willing to dedicate their lives into saving others'. And you guys are amazing! So, thank you to all of the others out there that were there to help fix our problem when we were at one of our worst lived fears. Thank you for clipping her tongue and helping our daughter be able to eat on her own again without depending on a tube. You guys helped us through a lot in our time of trial, and we deeply appreciate it.

Dear family and friends,

Your prayers and thoughts for little Sydney girl were such a blessing! Thank you for all the love and support. We feel very blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives! :)

$30,000 and a surgery later.....

2010-10-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Dear little Miss Sydney Alyse.....

Thank heavens that you are feeling better and out of the hospital!!! We were only there for a week, but that was longer than a lifetime to have our little precious baby couped up in a little room with a feeding tube, and stuck to an I.V. You were a little trooper though. The last few days that we were there, you actually started pushing your I.V pole around with you, like it was a new way of living. But, as soon as they taught me, your mommy, how to put a feeding tube in your nose, we left!!!! You had a very ecstatic look about your face when I took you out of the hospital and we got into the car seat. You didn't even care that you had to be buckled....you were glad. We got home that night, and you got to play with your own toys, and see your favorite person of all time.....KADEN. :) I love that the two of you play so well together!!! When the time came for bed, you almost leapt out of my arms for your own crib, and drifted off to sleep.

6 A.M rolled around and I got a kiss on my cheek from your daddy. Time for work....but, all of the sudden you were screaming bloody murder. We both ran to your aid, to find milk all over your bed, and an enormous grin across your face with your feeding tube out and in hand. And ever since that day, you've been drinking your bottles fine.....no more throwing up, and definitely no more feeding tube. It was that day I realized, I was in trouble.....You are the most determined not even one year old I've met! You will do amazing things in this life, and I have no doubt that you'll succeed. Each morning you wake up with a smile on your face, full of love and joy for what the day will bring. I admire you Sydney Sue.....and love you more than you will know. Keep it up, but NEVER forget, mommy is always here for you! =)

Sydney Sue's Hospital Extravaganza......

2010-09-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's the story on how poor little Sydney wound up here in the Phoenix Children's Hospital. Around July 12th-ish, Sydney, who is the best eater that ever lived, started to spit up a little after she would drink a bottle. It wasn't everytime, or a lot or everyday. She didn't have a schedule of when she would or wouldn't, but it just was interesting because she was not a spitty baby. So, after a week, we went on vacation to Utah. Sydney was a fantastic little traveler, and once we got to Utah she started to throw up a little more. After she would drink a bottle she would throw up pretty quickly after. And, it wasn't every bottle, or at a certain time of day. But, just kind of odd. Then around the next week, she started throwing up more and more....and then it slowly progressed to anything she drank. Milk, water, or juice. So, I felt it was strange, but the doctor wasn't too worried. So, she continually started to get worse, and drink and then throw up. But, slowly anything pureed that she ate she would throw up. And it just progressed to where she couldn't eat anything without throwing up. Which still didn't concern the doctor, but yet her Ezcema did. Weird, but.....o well. So, our pediatrician sent us to the allergists. They tested her and she was allergic to milk, soy, wheat, eggs, peanuts and cashews!!!! Crazyness, but I stopped feeding her those things and the allergist mentioned she might have a disorder called E.E (Eosinphillic Esophagitis). He gave me a pamphlet and sent me to a pediatric GI. So about a week later we saw him. He thinks she might have E.E too, and thinks she's throwing up because of allergies. But, who knows?!?!?! So, my little Sydney hadn't had a wet diaper from around 4a.m-11a.m, which was crazy for a little girl, so I brought her into the ER with Meikle and we were there until around 6:30 pm this last wednesday. They admitted her to the hospital, and here we are still. She's still throwing up, and not drinking anything, so they gave her a feeding tube and IV. My poor little baby is still so sick!!! And, Kaden is having the HARDEST time understanding what is going on! It's soooo sad. Today when we came to visit, on the way over, we had this conversation:
Kaden-"Mommy, are we going to see Sydney Sue?"
Me-"Yup, and Daddy!"
Kaden-"Is Sydney Sue all better?"
Me-"Not yet....She's still sick."
Kaden-"Mommy, Sydney's broken. She needs new batteries...."

I feel so bad! I wish it were that easy!!!! And I wish that Kaden can stay calm, and understand, but he's only 2, so he can't quite get it.....

But, anyways. We are holding up, and doing well. Tired, and having a hard time spreading our attention between the kids/work and driving back and forth to PCH. But, Sydney is sleeping, and so I'm getting my rest that I need now too!!! Just wanted to keep everyone posted!!! :)

ApRiL....

2010-07-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun April!!! There was a lot going on in April between all of the Easter festivities, and then My birthday, and our friends birthday. But, anyways. Our friends "borrowed" our kids while Meikle and I enjoyed a date, and they took the kids for a ride in the wagon. So, sweet that they both fell asleep! I LOVE this picture, and hope that they can always be cute like this together forever! :-P

Since it was the big 6 months, Sydney hit the landmark of being "allowed" solid foods! Woohoo! We usually start with veggies first, so that they won't get a sweet tooth too early ;-) But, the first food we tried, was very fitting for April, and all of the hype of Easter.....CARROTS! I was too anxious to let her try them, so I did it while Meikle was at work, which I regret, not only that he didn't get to be there for the first "real" food, but also to help me snap some pictures! She LOVED the idea of the spoon and solid food, but had a really hard time with it. Kaden was tongue tied when he was born, but they clipped it really soon after birth, and he handled a spoon like a champ, but Sydney had no idea (and still has a hard time) with using a spoon. But, take in mind, she still is tongue tied, and poor girl doesn't know what to do with a spoon and her tongue at the same time! But, everytime she got a mouthful of carrots, she made this hilarious face of disgust. I tried capturing it while feeding her, and it took me a few tries, but I finally managed to snap this adorable face, of "what the heck are you feeding me?!?!" Kids make me laugh, and I absolutely adore being a mom!!!

My mom and I had seen this super neat project around the scrapbook store and absolutely LOVED the idea. Too bad they wanted you to pay like $90 bucks for the name, and that didn't even include the frame. So, mom and I decided to just do it ourselves. We picked out all our paper to match her room (purple, blue and green) and used our handy dandy Cricut to create our gorgeous hand-made, not too common name frame!!!! :) I was so excited with the results, the only thing I would change would be to find a frame first, and then make the project fit the frame. But, still.....I love it! It goes so well above her crib!

The big day has arrived!!! Easter! :) It had always been one of my favorite holidays, being that it is close to my birthday, and the beautiful time of the year where the weather in sunny AZ is amazing. But, it definitely was more fun this year to let Kaden find Easter eggs, and celebrate it with family. We ended up going to my parents house for a Easter egg hunt on Saturday, and then stayed the night so that we were able to watch General Conference on Sunday. We loved being able to watch Kaden hunt for eggs and his Easter baskets, and had a really enjoyable time relaxing with family.

Since we had Kaden, I've always tried to make us all match as a family, and this Easter, I was determined! Luckily I found Kaden and Sydney's clothes at Children's place, so there's automatically matched, and all I had to do was match Meikle and I to them, and we could be the cutest. Too bad we never got a picture of the 4 of us in our matching clothes to prove it. And, I was so excited to go to Church Easter Sunday with our matchingness, and of course, it was General Conference so we had to wear it the Sunday before. But, o well. :) I guess I'm just a little silly like that.

March.....better late than never, right?!

2010-07-06T22:03:00.001-07:00

Sydney is 5 months old, and getting way too big for her own good! :) This picture captures her sweet smile/personality. She is the cutest.....but, I'm a little biased. And of course, Mr. Kaden is still my favorite little boy ever!!! He is so cute with his sister, and just loves her! We love to watch the beginning of a fun friendship.

March was a fun month for us, since we were illness free we made the most of it! We did a lot of things just to get out of the house! Which is always a nice break. One of the things we did was went bowling with some of our friends. We had a blast and Kaden enjoyed "smashing pins!"

Luckily we had this handy dandy bowling ramp to at least somewhat help us bowl with Kaden. We also had bumpers, which helped us all out ;-)

Another fun trip we took was to the Phoenix Zoo with my sister and her two little girls. Meikle's parents came and joined us as well. It was a super fun trip! Different going with younger kids and trying to look at animals though, I think the most exciting animals for them all were the ducks in the pond by where we ate lunch. We went over to this picnic area they had set up as a viewing animals for these cool looking monkeys that were swinging all over the place, but the kids just enjoyed looking and feeding the ducks and eating their pretzels. O well, at least they had fun.

We loved being able to just be outside. The weather was gorgeous, and we LOVE the Arizona springs! :)

February.....my bad that it's late

2010-07-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

So, Since I am silly and don't EVER update this, I decided to do a few posts to catch up. So, here's to February....Kaden caught RSV in January, and passed it along to Sydney, so January and February we were kind of quarantined (sp?) So, this meant, no birthday party for Kaden boy....but, he's only 2 so he already forgave us! :) For his birthday we just did a small little cake, and opened a few presents. Nonna (my mom) came over and gave Kaden his favorite present of all. A Woody/Buzz toy!!! :) -He still plays with these all the time!

But, there wasn't anything too eventful in February for us. We just stayed low and spent time together! One of the nights we built this cool tent in our family room and watched a one of Kaden's favorites, Cars!!! :) I love our little family!

Happy New Year!!!!

2010-01-08T05:20:00.000-08:00

So, since Meikle and I are not very good about blogging, we're going to try really hard to keep this a little more up-to date than it has been. Everything is going really well. Meikle is still working with his deacons and loving it, and working away as an assistant engineer. Kelley is busy at the house with both kids, and trying to keep up with everything life throws our way. I've decided to start a small business, and hoping to see how that pans out. (It's mainly for bows, flowers, and headbands-let me know if you're interested!) Kaden is doing awesome! During the colder months, he got bronchitis, which you wouldn't have been able to tell at all personality wise except for the sad deep chest cough he had. Now, his bronchitis is all clear! But, sadly his allergies are going crazy again! He's now off dairy again to see if that does anything, and is getting allergy tested again soon. He can't have dairy or eggs, and we have to keep an epi pen for him. Poor kid! But, he is still one of the happiest kids you'll meet! Loves to be outside and play football, loves to play "kitchen" with the play kitchen Santa brought, and loves anything to do with Toy Story! He carries around his "woodybuzz" action figures EVERYWHERE. And I mean everywhere. They go to the store with us, they go in the bath, they sleep with him. It's so funny and cute! He is the sweetest older brother ever, and still refuses to say Sydney. To him, she's still just "baby". He is talking a lot more, and is learning more sentences which is awesome! And as for Sydney, she's still just the happiest baby ever! She likes her nap schedule/routine to stay the same, so if you interupt it she gets a little upset, but she is such a good baby! We've been so blessed with good babies! She's still sleeping through the night from about 8-5, then wants a bottle and goes back to bed until 8 or 9. With the help from my sister and my sister in law she has more clothes than the rest of the family put together, and I have to change her like 3 times a day to catch up! Well, not really, but she does have a lot! And it's so fun for me to have my girl! She is giggling now, and rolling over, and trying to stand and sit up! She's only 3 months! Crazy girl. But, she's so fun and we're so excited for when she can play back with us! And that's that. Everyone is happy and healthy, and just getting adjusted to life again after the holidays. Our Christmas was awesome, and so fun with Kaden figuring out more and excited for what "yanta" brought him! And our new years was nice and relaxing! We stayed up and played Wii until 3! haha. We can be nerds, but it's ok! My parents bought us our entertainment center from Ikea that I've had my eyes on for almost a year now, and we were able to buy a new tv finally! So, we had to take advantage of the big screen and sit down and play some games on the Wii! But, everything is good, and we're loving life. We wish all our friends and family the best of this new year and good health to go along with it! We love you all and will be keeping you posted of anything new :)

Sydney Alyse

2009-10-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

Sydney is here!!! She came Tuesday October 6th, at 12:15 am. She was 7 lbs. 11 0z, and they claimed she was 20 1/2 in. long, but...according to her first pediatricians appointment, she is 19 1/4 in. long. But, she is here healthy and happy. We had a bit of a weird experience with her birth, so I'll tell the quick version of it. We went to the hospital Monday night at around 7:30, were admitted at 8:30, and spent an hour in triage. So, finally when they decided I was in labor, they started my IV, and sent me to my delivery room where I got my epidural(around 10:30pm), and was completely content. At this time, they checked and I was about a 6, so we just had to wait until I was fully dilated. So, at around 11:45pm, my nurse, Melissa, came to check, and pulled back the sheet, and noticed that my water had not broken, but was intact and had part of the way delivered, so, we decided if we broke my water, that Sydney would be here, so it was time to call the doctor.....So, we called the doctor at 11:50pm, and he was on his way. So, we just waited....around 12:10am, I was feeling very sick to my stomach, and was nervous I would throw up, since that's my least favorite thing ever.....but, it persisted and a few minutes later, I said, I'm going to throw up, so with Meikle over my right shoulder, and Melissa over my left shoulder, I threw up twice, and then the third time, Melissa said, "I think we have a baby here!" She lifted back the bedsheets, and lo and behold, there was Sydney Alyse crying a little kicking.....being that I had my epidural, I did not feel a thing, but she came out in her water and the water popped when she came out. Melissa then talked into her walkie talkie and said, "ya, we're going to need some nurses in here....". So, the nurses came in and tried to get her cleaned up, and quickly realized that there was no doctor in the room, so the cord hadn't been clipped. So, we're not exactly sure when Sydney came, or what exact time, so we rounded to 12:15am, and the doctor came at 12:20am, and helped finish everything up. So, it was a crazy night/morning, and apparently a very rare story.....I was taken to post partum, and all of the nurses were talking about how I was the girl that "threw up her baby". So it was pretty shocking, but amazing! Sydney is doing very well.....a very quiet and content baby girl. She has been nursing really well, and has almost regained her birth weight. The pediatrician said she was very healthy, so we're all happy! I'm feeling great!!! A little sleepy, which is to be expected, but feeling very good, and back to normal. Meikle has been doing good too, a little sleepy as well, but he has been such a good help!!! He luckily had saved up enough time from work to be able to take the week off, so he's been playing with Kaden and been helping around the house a lot. So, it's been really good! Kaden has been so sweet with his "baby", nervous around her, and just looks at her and smiles and says, "baby". But then goes right back to playing with something else....(probably dice, his new favorite toys). But, everyone is happy and healthy and we LOVE our new addition!!! Things have been so fun, and we're so blessed!!! Thanks to everyone that has helped and been our support! We love our family and friends!!! :)

2009-10-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

So Kaden and I made a trip up to Utah for my neice, Valerie, Miranda's oldest daughter, to see her baptism. It was over Labor Day so I am a little slow in putting stuff up but hey, thats life. We drove up on Friday and back on Monday so it was busy and quick but we did get to see one of my good friends from Australia, Robyn Jarman. She brought us some red gummi frogs! Just about the best lolly ever made! Too bad it has to be imported to get some. But we had fun and gave Kelley a quiet weekend to work on the baby bumper for the new baby's crib (who was due yesterday and nothing came out!). Kaden wanted to play in the grass the whole time we were in Utah (since ours is dead at our house he doesnt like it much...).

2009-09-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Kaden didn't really enjoy the game because the ball was too far away...haha...he did like the hot dog though and tried the take the beer from the guy next to us....the guy left really upset....haha....

Kelley Almost There

2009-09-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

So Kelley is due on October 4 so its getting close and she is VERY excited to have the baby and play barbies with her (should be a girl if the ultrasound is right...)!!!! Oh and do you like our blue wall!

Two Weeks!

2009-09-21T08:30:00.001-07:00

Ahh....crazyness, so two weeks left until Sydney Alyse is here.....(well, until she's due). So, thought I should try and fill ya'll in before she's here and there isn't time....Meikle is doing good, his office had him stop traveling for a while, so just in case I go into labor, he'll be able to be with me. So, we've enjoyed having him home to be able to be together as a little family. Its so weird how everything changes, in a few weeks, it won't be just the 3 of us! and that freaks me out a little....but, Meikle seems pretty calm. He's enjoying his calling as second counselor in the YM presidency, and enjoys working with the deacons a lot. Our ward is really organized and good about attendance with the youth, so he's had a lot of fun getting to know the boys. But, everything else is good for him, just loving life, and working.....he's been dealing a lot with a crazy prego wife. haha. I've had these stupid migraines so horribly this pregnancy, that I can't wait to be done!!! Well, and back pain that comes with carrying her so much lower than Kaden. So, poor Meikle has dealt with the brunt of a cranky wife, but...I've been trying to get better! I always feel so horrible when I realize I'm being retarded, but ladies as you know, when you're pregnant, you can't control it! haha.....but, besides that, I've been really good, just anxious/nervous/excited and so many other emotions about actually having Sydney here with us! We got her room painted, now we need to put up the trim.....we got Kaden his new big boy crib (that converts into his "big boy bed" later) and moved the changing table into Sydney's room along with her crib. So, things are slowly coming together!!! But, moving on.....little Kaden, has been such a fun kid!!! I love it!!! He is shy, but when he gets used to people is such a funny kid. Not really a performer and isn't a big fan of doing things on command, but it makes it that much more funny when he does silly things. He absolutely adores our cat, Elmo....which he has named "melmo" and chases her around the house like all day long! Besides that, he of course is still a big fan of throwing/catching/kicking balls. And LOVES to be outside! (which luckily, its cooling down a little bit, so I can actually go outside for longer than 5 minutes with him). But, health wise, everyone is good and happy, so we're just waiting for the arrival of our little new addition, and I will try and get some pictures posted.....(I forget how to do it, so....I'll figure it out when I have more time haha)........... :)

amazingness....

2009-06-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

We found a house!!! Hooray!!! We actually have been living in it for a little over a month, I just suck at posting things on our blog.....But, recap, Meikle is doing really well. Just working away, he'll be doing a lot of traveling the next few months which is a bummer, but good he has work.....But, I'll miss him like crazy!!! Kelley is doing good, feeling bigger everyday, and already feeling like its time for the baby to be here......but I have like 4 more months haha. But, baby girl(Sydney Alyse Garrett), will be here soon!!! We're super excited and loving every minute!!! Kelley unfortunately had to put in her two weeks at USA Gymnastics with Meikle being out of town a lot recently, but is very excited to be able to spend so much time with Meikle and Kaden at home!!! Kaden is doing amazing, walking around like crazy....he turned into a little boy, not just my baby Kaden! He still gets a little ezcema, but, we finally figured out, he's allergic to eggs!!! So, anything with eggs we've had to cut out, and he's been ten times happier and his ezcema has almost gone away!!! So, thank goodness we figured it out! He is the happiest little guy in the whole world, and we love watching him enjoy life! Meikle and I are excited to have started this new chapter in our lives, and are so happy to have this wonderful home!!! We are quickly trying to make it more "home-y" but taking it one day at a time. We are excited for Daddy's day coming up and Kaden and I have had a lot of fun going shopping! Kaden loves his daddy, but has been a big momma's boy lately......which is funny cause he was a big daddy's boy last month. So, who knows?!?! We absolutely love him to death, and I promise I'll get better about blogging, now that I have more time!!! :)

house looking

2009-03-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

so, bummer....we made an offer on a house that we fell in love with, and they took another offer....so, back to square one! haha, But, besides that, life is good....we are still looking around for a house, so keep your eyes open! Kelley is feeling much better, still has really bad migraines, but not feeling sick anymore which is awesome!!! She got a job coaching gymnastics(TNT) and possibly cheer in the next little while at USA Gymnastics. So, it's a fun way for her to escape and do what she LOVES!!! As for Meikle, everything's same old, just looking for houses, so its stressing us both out like crazy. And as for little Kaden Boy, he's doing good! Still getting eczema, so we're taking him back to the dermatologist to see if there's anything more we can do. He caught a little cold, so...now is sick with a cough and sniffles. Poor buddy, so hopefully Mom won't catch it! But, ya....life's good. Kelley is excited for her birthday coming up and for Easter that Kaden will kind of have a clue of whats going on....and ya.

Devan-I'll do that tag thing when I get home...haha, don't get so upset :) just kidding

blogging....

2009-03-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

so this blogging thing, can sometimes be confusing....I think somehow I erased all of our profile stuff. But, quick update....Kelley is doing great! (aside from migraines, and morning sickness...), yes....morning sickness....Baby number two is due October 4th! So, she keeps busy with Kaden, and cleaning house. Also LOVES to scrapbook/make cards, and works two days a week babysitting for a family with 3 kids (one's in school though, so pretty much 2 kids). Meikle is still going to work and is also taking a Calculus class to advance his education in....we still aren't sure :) And little Kaden Boy, is happy as can be, but has recently had really really bad eczema, and we think allergies. So, that hasn't been fun. It has been a weird few weeks with him not sleepy/being cranky....we're not used to it. But, today his mood was 10,000 times better, which puts us all in a better mood! So, we're loving life, and just enjoying time together. We've been looking for houses to hopefully move into, so keep your fingers crossed! But, I'm going to play with Kaden...so we'll try to update this more regularly, but....as for now, deal with it :) peace out

life...

2009-02-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

Well, Meikle and I are doing great!!! We love life....Kaden is getting such a personality, it's awesome! He celebrated his first birthday on 2.1.09 and I will try to post some cute pictures...and get this thing updated. He's teething right now, so he's a little grumpy, and I'm tired of it haha....I hate waking up in the middle of the night to try help him, when all he does is scream....but I absolutely love when he falls asleep on my chest, and I get to cuddle him. Meikle is such a great daddy, and we're just hanging out! We're looking for houses in Mesa, so keep your eyes open for us!!! :)

head over heels.....

2008-11-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

yesterday was Meikle and I's two year anniversary, and I'm still head over heels in love with him. We have had an amazing first two years, and know that it can only get better....I absolutely love him, and I'm so grateful for him in my life. He is amazing, and my favorite person, ever! (Kaden is close second...). I'm so excited for the future, and to find out how much more fun we will have. Life is simply amazing =)

first attempt....

2008-11-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

This is just a test picture....haha, I need to get this all figured out. This was Meikle and I on the bridge at Golfland with some good friends....

another addiction....

2008-11-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

So, I'm already obsessed with facebook, and myspace...and yet everyone keeps talking about this blog thing....so here it goes. We can be addicted to one more thing....I am very new to this, so I need to figure out how to get everything working, and posted....so, I will tinker away at it for a little while baby Kaden is sleeping....but if he wakes up, it will have to wait until I can really sit down and be completely obsessed with blogging :)