KissCass, Ty and our Little Man

Welcome to the Rodeo...Gage's Cowboy Birthday Party

2011-10-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to this grand state we live in, our party was rained out and we had to bring Gage's party inside...our itty bitty condo...

and THIS is the CRAZINESS that was Gage's Happy Birthday Party!!

This was so much fun to plan! Although, it would have looked much better, and run much smoother had we been able to go outside, c'est la vie!! We had nearly 40 people in our 1200 square foot condo! WOW! Surprisingly, it wasn't a total disaster. :)

hahaha...he definitely did NOT get to really drink this, just the dribbles at the end...kinda gross, but oh well! :)

So here's what we did:

We had bubble wands out front, which is so much fun! And if you've never played with these, you should!
......
Then we made (really just decorated) Hobby Horses:

And then of course we had LOADS of food, between the dessert buffet and the chili and chips!

It was such a blast!

Oh, and what toddler party wouldn't be complete without a fight over...well, pink balloons in this case!

Oh, and at least ONE tantrum! (With a mouth full of crackers!)

But all in all, it was a pretty dang fun party!

So...did this kid have any fun at all??

It's really hard to say...

My Baby is TWO!?? What?

2011-09-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

(This is one of FIVE posts tonight!! WHEW~ So check below to see what we've been up to this summer.)

Last week, my baby turned TWO!?! I cannot believe it! Time flies way too fast!

This is just the CUTEST!!! He is so beautiful!! Oh how I love!!

Gage is the BEST thing we ever did! That is for sure!! He is such a little BOY! And I mean ALL BOY! Lately, he has started to really get into pretend play, and what does he pretend to do? He pretends to die!! Hahaha! And he's really good at it too! Really theatrical! It is so so so beyond funny!

He is obsessed with hats! ALL hats! If there is a hat, it is on his head! So, that cowboy hat is much more than just an adorable photo prop! He kept it on for at least 2 hours when we went to the rodeo/fair/concert.

He is seriously a little praise-monger! He constantly claps for himself and says; "Good Boy!" and "I did it!" I love it!

He is such a little lover!! Lately, he is all about the hugs and kisses! Like a mad man! And he is ALL about the double-hug, which is where you think he is going to go to the other parent, but instead, he wraps his arms around their neck and the one who's holding him and he brings ya both in for the double hug! It's pretty dang adorable!

However, we've already got to keep a look-out for him and the ladies at daycare! He traps them in the corners and smooches them when they're least suspecting it!

Speaking of daycare...and anywhere else there might be children...my child is officially the ring-leader!! He brings the crazy! Just the other day, at our friend's little girl's birthday party, we peeked in the room all the kids were playing in (mind you, there was a whole HEAP of noise and crazy going on in there) and who was at the dead center of it all, wrangling all the kiddlets up? GAGE! Isn't so hard to imagine? I mean, coming from two incredibly shy and quiet parents and all, who da' thunk? (hehehE)

As for his birthday celebration...it's this Saturday and we cannot wait! It's cowboy themed and believe me when I say, I'll have LOTS of photos to post! I might even break out the real camera for it!!....(Not "might"...that's a big "definitely will" for sure!) I intended to throw together a little party...but, it's sorta turned into a BIG party! Let's just hope it doesn't rain!

OH and This just in: he officially says " I LOVE YOU!!" We've had sneaky suspicions in the past that he was saying it, but now he's genuinely saying it, and it's understandable!!

...oh...and big surprise, he's still in the 98th and 100th percentiles for head and height respectively, and still over the 100th for weight...hahaha, but not as far over as he used to be, that's for sure!!

Well, see ya next week!

Photo Spewing! Hehe

2011-09-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm on a boat!!

After the excitement wears off...zzzz

Onto the PUYALLUP FAIR AND RODEO

How adorable is this little cowboy!!?

Look at those curls!!

Not a great pic, but the Joe Nicholls concert was AWESOME!!

Check out Ty's face!!

And this is the ride that caused all sorts of drama!!

We could not get him off! And it's so funny, because he takes it SO seriously!!! I think in his cute little head, he thinks he is actually driving the truck! :)

And the drama!!! Oh the drama!!

But seriously....such the cutest little cowboy ever!!

2011-09-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

So, rather than word vomit...I'll photo-vomit!! :)

I'm playing major catch-up and...despite the fact that camping photos are NEVER the most flattering (no make-up...yikes!)

Here we go!

This kid LOVES hiking!

This kid will literally throw rocks for HOURS! It's hard to get him to stop!

Isn't he a stud in his sweet rays!?

This tree was so cool!! We climbed in and out of it for a long time.

Here's Gage climbing in...or under the tree...

And here's where you come out...

How cool is this shot!! Hahaha...love this mutt! Way to go Ty!!

True love!! hehe

Feed the Birds, tuppence a bag...and other stuff....

2011-09-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

This is seriously one of the funnest/coolest things they do at the ZOO!

We get to feed the birds! Just stick your stick out and the birdies land on it and dig in!....as you can see, it makes Gage a little nervous.

Here's another fun activity we did this summer...a LOT!
I cut Gage's bread into shapes, in this case, dinosaurs, and then dye the milk various colors and let him paint!

When they're all painted, we toast them and eat em' up, yum!

Beware! Drinking food colored milk causes BRIGHT turquoise poops!! Just sayin'! :)

Nana and Grandpa come for a visit

2011-07-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

Fireworks with an almost 2 year old is the GREATEST!!! Who cares about the fireworks, watchin' this kid's face was AWESOME!

Boy did this kiddo LOVE his grandpa!!

He was even lovin' on his Nana....which is exceptionally good for him, because I've got a sexist little dude who doesn't usually like women...seriously! He is a Man's Man!

We'll sure miss having them here!!

Thanks for the visit and all of the fun!!

Off to the Beach

2011-06-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Indiana....couldn't keep him out of the Sound!

And we couldn't keep this one away from the rocks!

Oh how I love my boys!

Isn't he hot!

Despite the fact that I have to literally pull teeth to get a half-way decent photo!

This one on the other hand, LOVES the camera!

Taste of Tacoma

2011-06-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

Rainier's Baseball Game...fun?

2011-06-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

Tantrum much?

Tim McGraw at the Gorge!!

2011-06-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

Loungin'' at the Pool

2011-06-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

A Little Gage and Mama Time!

2011-06-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

Gage LOVES the camera!

He literally brought the camera to me this day and then climbed on my lap and began smiling....I can't even describe how adorably hilarious it was!

Taking a closer look

2011-05-22T00:57:00.000-07:00

See the rock??

At the end of a long busy day....

Fun at the Bird Refuge!

2011-05-22T00:53:00.000-07:00

Oh the many faces of this little Stud!

2011-04-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

The Next Tony Horton!

2011-02-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

How much does this little dude rock!?

Just my little Cowboy!

2011-02-09T00:20:00.000-08:00

This little Stud of ours knows how to rock it!

For Christmas, G'pa and G'ma Denton found this AWESOME toy for our little man!

This is his excited face!

Isn't that just the most kissable face ever?!

Just Monkey-ing around!

2011-02-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

First off, thank you G'ma and G'pa West!! We have LOVED going to the zoo! Best Christmas present!

Here are some pics of the fun we've been having..

The Walrus tank is our ABSOLUTE favorite! They are the friendliest and most bizarre looking creatures ever! If you press your cheek to the tank, this big guy is SURE to come and do the same!

Is there any chance this kid ISN'T having fun??

And the sharks are freaking awesome too!

And, THIS is the Best part of all...Gage has somehow learned to smile on cue...I thought it took kids much longer to establish their "cheese" face...not this kid!

And just because it's hilarious, here's a video to showcase his mad "cheese" skills!!

Thanks again mom and dad!!!!

I know, I know....This makes me a bad parent, but...

2011-01-25T12:16:00.000-08:00

this is frickin' hilarious!

We came in the room to see why Gage was giggling so much, and this is what we found--mind you, he literally set this up all by himself!!

And then there's THIS!!

And we wonder why our kid is COVERED with bumps and bruises!?!

And no, we don't believe in pants, we believe in showing off those adorable thunder thighs!! MUAH!!!

A Preview of My Little Cowboy!

2011-01-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

Today we took advantage of the good weather, a rarity in these parts to say the very least!

It's rather difficult flying solo on a toddler shoot, ESPECIALLY your own, but we managed. I haven't had time to fully edit, but here's a little preview of this little cowboy of mine!

More to follow...shortly!

This is a Stick up!

2010-12-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

Maid Service Requested

2010-11-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

This is Why My Baby Will Never Learn To Feed Himself

It is WAY too much fun....FOR HIM!!

And since our maids are off-duty most days, this little dissaster is rarely allowed.

(ps: we're thinking of firing our maids anyway, they never show up to work! They're names are Ty and Cassie--our third maid is usually good at picking up the food off the floor, but really just sleeps on the job all day anyway. His name is Indie)

My Baby Walks!!

2010-11-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

Just shy of 14 months, Gage is finally Walking!! I love watching him teeter around!! SO darling! And he is SOOOO proud of himself!

(Ignore the fact that I don't know how to trim the video...I just kept trying to end it with a smile...oh well.)

Dave Matthew's Concert at the Gorge!

2010-11-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

First of all, if you're ever in Washington, I HIGHLY recommend going to a concert at the Gorge!! It is the most beautiful venue I've ever been to! Next year we're going to go to Jack Johnson with friends to campout over night and hang out the entire day of the concert!

This just melts my heart! I love cuddling with this little man! So precious!

See what I mean?? Unfortunately, my little point and shoot camera doesn't do it justice, this place is amazing!

Before Dave even came out, he had already tired himself out dancing to Ben Harper, (that's Ty's main man)

Gage woke up to dance himself back to sleep, so he didn't miss Dave entirely.

Best concert ever!!

Birthday Party Do-Over Halloween Night

2010-11-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

Since Gage's first Birthday Party was a huge let down, we did a do-over party Halloween night, where I finally made his official birthday cake!

BTW: After buying nearly 6 lbs of candy for Trick-or-Treaters, we had a grand total of ZERO! Sad.

In a fight between Chuck Norris and Paul Bunyan, I pick this dude!

2010-11-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Paul Bunyan and Babe, his blue ox

As you can see, the beard and hat lasted all of 3 minutes...so, for our party, we drew his beard on with waterproof mascara! Awesome! Cutest little lumberjack ever!

And here is his cute little friend, Miss Morgan! What a doll!!

Baby Boy Behaving Badly!

2010-10-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

My Mischievous Munchkin!

That face has trouble written all over it!!

This is his official pouty face! Those little lips poke out, and while he is in fact, whinning or crying, I can't help but steal a kiss!

A Very Merry Un-Birthday!

2010-10-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

My UN-Happy Birthday!!

A pretty miserable day for all of us! Poor Gager wasn't loving his molar that's coming in, which was giving him some pretty nasty little fevers too! I tried so desperately to get happy photos, and now, it's just funny to me and I wish I would have gotten more of the sad faces, as they were a PLENTY!

To start us off, we made Gage my family's famous birthday breakfast: Flapjacks with ice cream (not in bed, since I'm not sure how that works exactly at this age haha)!! YUM! Unfortunately, the only thing Gage was even slightly interested in was the candle.

Oh well, Ty and I enjoyed his pancakes and ice cream for him.

The candle might be interesting, but not enough to elicit a smile.

Look at his cute little flapjacks daddy made! Mommy enjoyed them!

After a bout of crying commenced, he ended up here....thank heaven!!

That evening, we attempted to do his birthday cake, which (patting myself on the back) was tasty! I made a huge chocolate cupcake with oreos pressed into the edge and chunks of symphony bar in the middle, as well as substituting the water for chocolate pudding (amazing)!! And then the frosting was made of a very light, whipped cream cheese frosting with oreo crumbles! And then everything you see on top! It was fabulous, I'm drooling just typing this up! Yeah, wish Gage cared at ALL! The only photos we got of him "eating" it, are the ones that Ty tried to stuff it in so he would maybe get a taste and change his mind....nope, but we got decent pics anyway...again, in retrospect, the truth, the crying, pouty face photos would have been funnier!

This was entertaining....momentarily.

Again, very intrigued by the candle!

And, the pouty face begins...again.

"Mom, you got to be kidding me! All I want is the drugs."

Hahaha, this makes me laugh so hard now; Ty kept trying and trying to get him to take a bite so I could get a photo. Well, this looks pretty decent, however posed it may have been!

Playing with it was also momentarily entertaining.

And the tears are working their way back.

Daddy's a genius, and whips out a balloon!!

And here are his presents, at 6:30pm, and Gage is in bed SOOO not interested!!

We're having a "do-over party" in a couple weeks with his buddies which will also serve as a halloween party! Hopefully, he'll have much more fun!

I can't believe my baby is ONE!!!

A Day in the Life of Gage

2010-10-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

This just makes me happy!

Fell asleep in my cheerios today;
Man, it's a hard knock life.

Separating the Men from the Tools

2010-10-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

(Beginning of Sept.)

Gage is extremely helpful these days. When either of us is loading the dishwasher, he crawls over and helps out by taking out all of the silverware. What a stud, because he then looks up with the proudest look on his round little beautiful face! I love it!

We got a kitchen table in September that we had to put together, which was not as fun as one might assume, except for Gage; He LOVED it! He was right in the middle screwing in the screws and frankly, he's got pretty good hand-eye coordination because he could get it right in the hole every time...of course, this means a much more lengthy job, c'est la vie!!

Just my lil' man and his cute self!

2010-10-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

Still Catching-up

Here are some random goodies from July

Splish Splash Gage was Taking a Bath!!

2010-10-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

I've been a terrible blogger! I know, so I will be trying to play a little catch-up! These were taken back in July. (10 months old)

For the record, Gage LOVES the tubby!! I don't mind it so much either, when I don't end up soaking wet! :)

Fabulous Fourth!

2010-07-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

Celebrating in our new town, the city of Dupont had a fun little Parade and pancake breakfast to start out the festivities.

Gage is ALL BOY, because that Stryker was about the coolest things he saw at the parade!

Still watching the Stryker...funny kid!

Eating Dad's hat, yumm-o!

Trading off, because hey, he's a big dude!

Are 3-D Glasses at fire works very common? I've never used them, but both Gage and I thought it was AWESOME!! Ty, not so much.

This Kid LOVED LOVED LOVED the fireworks; he would not look away for 2 seconds, and he wasn't a BIT distracted by my flash!

Life Truly is a Box of Chocolates

2010-07-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

at least it is now that we are all together again. And who cares what kind of chocolate you get, it's CHOCOLATE, and it just doesn't get any better than that!

Here we are at the Vancouver Rodeo...

not bad, but it was NOTHING compared to the rodeos from home.

Gage is really into pointing these days, and he likes to point with his fingers crossed; Man I love this chunky monkey!

Those with kiddos know, there are few toys as great as good old paper!

MUAH!

Love this hat!

My parenting skills at their best!

(While Gage definitely did NOT drink the dew, the 3 year old sitting with his Mommy in front of us WAS IN FACT drinking a dew?!)

Nothin but LOVE!

Welcome HOME Daddy!!

2010-07-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome Home!

This Independence Day, we really have a LOT to celebrate!

Our Little Tank was dressed just like his old man as we went to pick him up, (Ty is infamous for his button up shirts.)

The anticipation was unbelievable, and just plain rude as they had a video, playing live feed of our boys coming off the plane and turning in their weapons, just a few miles away, but still FOREVER away!

So kissable! In fact, those cheeks have not been left alone since!

The Fam...a little later (back in Feb)

2010-04-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

2 Weeks is Just a TEASE!

2010-03-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

We spent our first week in Park City, followed by a week up a Powder Mt.

Yes, we're mean parents and gave the little bambino a lime!

But what a freakin' stud, he didn't even cry!

One of the rare moments I actually got to hold the little guy while Ty was here. :) (understandably so!)

So in love with that little round face!

Ty looked so HOT in the baby bjorn!

Love my boys!

It was so easy to simply fall back into the swing of things, that it was hard to remember (or WANT to remember) that Ty would have to go back to the Sand Box at the end of it all. (BOO HISS!!)

Gage looks like we all felt saying goodbye for a SECOND time! (which is WAY worse than the first!)

Meeting Daddy!

2010-03-16T08:40:00.001-07:00

Meeting Daddy at the Airport! It was definitely a tear-filled reunion (for everyone in the terminal)

It was so much fun to see these two together for the very first time! Everyone who knows Gage, knows how happy he is to see ANYONE, but he only gets excited and giggly for people he actually knows; so, with all of the skyping, photos and life-sized cardboard cutout of Ty, I was very anxious to see if Gage would actually recognize Ty.

About 10 feet before I actually reached Ty, Gage started to squirm and kick and flail his chubby little arms, and the second Ty grabbed his cute squishy body, Gage was giggling out of control!!!

It was just like Gage knew this is what he's been missing!

Blue Baby Love

2010-03-08T15:03:00.000-08:00

Happiness is never running out of cheeks to kiss!

Oh Nice and Chubby Baby!

2009-12-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Finally Caught On Video! And at 10 weeks old

2009-12-03T22:48:00.000-08:00

Grandma is good at getting the giggles out of Gage,

Too bad we didn't bring out the camera until after the hiccups began...

I think we were laughing harder than Gage, but dang, he's cute!

My Sister the Super Model

2009-11-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

Can you believe she's getting married already?? Me neither, but here she is and isn't she gorge!

For Daddy

2009-11-11T09:02:00.001-08:00

Since Ty can't be here for the everyday moments.

Little Bambino Rockin' The Smiles

2009-11-08T01:11:00.000-08:00

I don't care who you are, this is pretty dang cute!!

Near the end of week 4, Little Gage started to smile on purpose! It was mostly for his Auntie Britty. By week 5, he was smiling consistently in the mornings and for his grandpa, and now (week 6) he smiles for everyone, but especially for his Daddy on the webcam!

Check this little chubby monkey out!

At his 2 week appointment, the Dr. was a little concerned that he hadn't gained enough weight and asked that I bring him back in over the next few weeks to make sure he's gaining...1 week later, he'd gained a FULL pound! Needless to say, the Dr. was impressed and said "see ya at 2 months."

Now he weighs 13lbs! He went from the 20th percentile to the 95th, and over the 100th in height! Good Ghandi child! He spent 4.5 weeks in newborn size and has practically skipped 0-3 all together!

This one freakin' cracks me up!

And this is just so tender!

I can honestly say I never dreamed I'd have such a good baby! I prayed for it ever day for 9 months straight, but this is awesome!

He's pleasant all day long, only crying when something is legitamately wrong.

He is an angel at the movies (for now!).

He sleeps through all the chaos and loud noise around the house and anywhere!

but most importantly....

He's been sleeping through the night almost since day 1! He averages 7-8 hrs/night!!

So YES! I am in love with this little dude!

Look who's back!

2009-10-11T08:47:00.001-07:00

Alright, so it's about time I posted, I realize this, so here we go!

But it takes way too much effort to put the pics in order, so it's a bit random.

**Just know, all the really beautiful shots were taken by Julie Best Parsons; she is amazing! And you should check more photos of Gage out on her website at JBPphotography.com

These first few are my attempt at being a studio photog without the studio...also without a very decent camera, boo!

Great way to start things off little Gage! Actually, he was such a good little boy, he's just a little physical comedian already.

And here begins the fantastic portraiture of JBP Photography

Another funny shot, I couldn't resist!

I love this little man! Wrinkly skin and all.

Gage says he can't wait to meet you daddy!!

Baby Denton has arrived!

2009-09-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Gage Wayne Denton (7lbs. 14 oz. 20.5")

September 22nd at 2:18pm.

How can you not love that face?

Just wanted to give everyone an update, Cass will give a more informative update once she is back online (this is Morgan, I highjacked the Denton blog) but Mom and baby are doing great! Cassia is such a beautiful mother and loving every minute with her baby boy. Gage is a great baby and has the sweetest little cry. They will be coming back to the West home at some point today.

We love you, Ty and can't wait for you to come home and hold your lil' guy! Thanks for sacrificing your time for our freedom and serving our country!

Babies are such a nice way to start people. - Don Herrold

2009-07-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Just a quick recap....

The Big News came in January!! 7 Weeks along!

Still 7 weeks at this point.

12 Weeks...

13 Weeks...

Well, not really a side shot to show the progress, but here we are (Gage and I; don't worry, I'm crazy, but not skitzo!) at 21 weeks.

Wait for it....

Whoa buddy, here I've popped (again!) at 24 weeks!

And then here's 31 weeks.

9 more weeks to go....maybe less, hopefully!!

Some family trees bear an enormous crop of nuts!!

2009-07-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Alright, so before I begin, I have to preface this post:

As a rule, I generally try not to word or picture vomit all over...But, for this post I've completely ignored that rule! Mostly this is for my family's benefit since I had so many fun pics of all the nephews and neices! I warned you! Here goes!!

A few weeks ago my whole family came up to visit us in Washington before Ty leaves for an entire year!! We had so much fun! My parents rented out a beach house in Pacific Beach and the photos give you almost a play by play of the whole week!

While the beach isn't much good for swimming (hence the sweatshirts!) although, don't tell Indie that, it was great for flying kites and making fun of Indie as he'd bound through the water and then run like the devil away from the oncoming waves...what a dork! We love that pup!
Everybody loved that little dork dog! I love that he lets all of the kids pound on him and he just lavishes all the attention, regardless if it involves his tail getting pulled or a kid trying to ride him!
This was a more amusing site to me; here I am holding my darling 3 month old neice, Lana, with my massive prego belly! Needless to say, I got some oddly long stares from many strangers!

Here's Dill loungin' in one of our awesome living room "couches." Seeing as we knew we'd only be in Washington for a little over 2 months, that's basically all we brought up (It's a camp chair fyi). It was pretty entertaining when we'd have guests over in our empty apartment. We'd get; "Are you guys alright? Can we help you out?" ha ha ha

Since Ty still had work to do, we had a lot of driving back and forth from the Beach House...not my favorite.

Uncle Moe is such a stud! All the kids love to ride his long board!

The parentals...awe! So cute! Thanks ma and pa for the trip!! Best ever!!

Dawna and me (aka baby sister Jessica)

Big Pimpin' Taylor...lil' bro!

"You're so hot honey!"

"Who me? What if I flair my nostrils like this, would you still be my friend?"

"Who said I was your friend??"

Trying to take a little Case family shot...Dillon had to put on his binoculars for the photo.

Jonny, Dill and Britt.

This kiddo usually hams it up for the camera, but out of 10 photos, this was the most "normal" shot I could get from him...jeez!

Grandpa and Dill, chillin' out maxin' at the carnival.

Taylor stealing my camera and LOADING it with dorky photos of himself...but this one turned out pretty decent. :)

Dill and cousin baby Lana

Much to her dismay, he couldn't stop kissing her! :) LOVE IT!

All week long, Dill kept stealing Ty's boots and wearing them all over the house...it was pretty dang cute. When we lived in Logan he'd always come to our house and wear his combat boots all over. Ty really gets a kick out of it and it makes him all the more excited (if that's actually possible) for our little Gage!

See what I mean about hamming it up for the camera?? Funny kiddo!

Just a couple of greasy beach bums!

Brother "Bud", aka Branson holding his little Lana.

So giggly and smiley! Such a good baby!

Dillon LOVED the sand...can you tell??

Off to Seattle!

Me and Tay

Uncle Moe and Caden at Pike Place

Funny Breken! He's a little physical comedian, at 3!! (almost)

Cute grandma and Brek--entertaining the masses

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals. -Winston Churchill

Caden and Dill; these two can entertain themselves for hours! (As well as the rest of us!)

Dill and Cade flying their kite!

Grandma and her boys!

This was one of the funniest things all week! These boys all did what boys do best; fight! But with the biggest smiles on their faces the whole week as they wrestled every chance they got! It was so entertaining! I can't wait for Gage to join in!

Brek on the beach...so stinkin' cute!

Brek and Dill watchin' movies in the beach house.

And the Fireworks commence!!

This was such a cool night! It was completely foggy and everyone came from miles around to light off every firework that would be illegal in Utah! It was so fun. The fog gave it such an eerie, but super cool glow...sorry the pics of the fireworks suck, like I said, foggy!

Leah and her boy Breken getting ready for the show!

How can you not get a big old smile seeing this photo?? Fireworks are so fun!!

Cade with the endless supply of sparklers!

Gram and Gramps...aka Ma and Pa!

Ty with a rocket launcher! These were awesome!

Bud and Cade with their rocket launcher.

Dawna (and the pup feeling very bad for himself in the back since we wouldn't let him run around chasing the fireworks.)

Beleive it or not, the end!! What a fun vacation we had with the fam-damly!! Can't wait to do it again in 2 years!!

Baby Makes the Belly Go Round!!

2009-07-22T23:05:00.001-07:00

So, it's only fair that if I have to take some solo pics that Ty should too...even if he has his stupid military haircut! :) He's still so hot!

All I can say is, WOW, I have got a LOT of work to do come the end September, but this little belly nija is worth it...hopefully!!!?

2009-07-14T18:51:00.001-07:00

Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious. Brendan Gill

Off to Ocean Shores; another adventure!

These are a couple (or three) of our buddies up here in Tacoma. Ashli, Pete and Boston Zeigler.

Funny enough, we were friends back at good old Harvard of the West, aka Weber state and randomly met back up here in Tacoma. These three are always up for a new adventure and we love it!!

Gotta love a wet doggy right? I wish I'd gotten a video of Indie this day; he was hilarious! We'd toss a stick out into the ocean and he'd start running after it and then he'd see a wave coming his way and run like &$*% to get away from the wave! I've never seen a dog's eyes so wide open! Sadly, he got used to the waves and now he loves it; Not nearly as entertaining!

Mmm... so, Ty has this thing for Ethiopian food. He talked us into trying out a new place up here and let's just say, this photo makes that food look GOOD! It was interesting, however.

Ok, so I SWORE I wouldn't be one of those lame people who always post photos of their pets, but now I'm one of them. Sorry.

This is Indie's Best Good Buddy, Cody. He's our friends, Mandy and Steve Hughes' dog. Definitely a funny pair who got off to a shakey start for obvious reasons, but I caught them napping together like this one day, and like a goober, I got a shot of it....you think this is bad? Wait til the kiddo gets here!!

My Hot Lieutenant and Me at the Ball

2009-06-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Military balls...minus the fact that we don't drink and that I was thoroughly under-dressed and over-sized (since prom dresses don't generally come in size PREGNANT!) are pretty decent. It is especially fun however enjoying everyone else who IS drunk!

If you're wondering about Ty's black eye, well, he got into a tussle with a guy who tried to make a pass at me. Ha ha ha, you didn't actually believe that did you? I'm freaking HUGE, but that would be funny. No, he got it playing "scouts" (as my mom would say about anything dealing with the military) doing combatives.

Question: If a person drinks human blood, wouldn't you say that's more than slightly cannibalistic?

At the ball they have a "grog" all the guys are supposed to drink, I suppose sort of as an initiation thing. The majority of the drink consists of all sorts of hard liquors and beer mixed with random things which included Dirt, MOTOR OIL and HUMAN BLOOD! We were both relieved Ty wouldn't have to drink it due to religious beliefs, but more importantly to me right now, I'm glad I didn't have to see anyone drink it up close due to pregnancy related nausea!

Ok, quick update; We are currently up in Tacoma, Washington and LOVING it! It is unbelievably gorgeous up here and such a huge relief from Oklahoma!! Ty deploys to Iraq August 3rd, Baby Gage is due Sept. 26th, and no, sadly Ty will not be back for the birth. Boo Hiss! I will be back in Utah while he's deployed playing the single-mom role. So, that's the gist for now, but I'll keep posting so stay tuned. :)

Randomly Visiting Past Adventures...Hawaii Baby!

2009-04-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

So, here I am, once again, posting photos of past adventures...I'm basically over it.

This was literally a last minute endeavor for us last October/November.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

(Ignore the blank spaces, Ty is going to be filling in

commentary as soon as he's not so insanely busy!

Oh and just another ps...this was beofre I finished losing the last 20lbs before getting prego...ok, that's not really for your sake, but rather for mine! :) )

Front Cover

Back Cover

Hmm...and stuff

2009-04-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

This was after a military reception...I was supposed to be in prom attire...I think the basket ball belly was excuse enough to be exempt from that request...so, I was slightly under-dressed but that didn't stop me from meeting tons of people, one of which lead me to having my first encounter with a request from a stranger to touch my belly...that is not normal!

I said, "Uh...ok..."

People! Listen up, even though I'm sharing my body right now, I'm NOT sharing it with EVERYONE...just this little alien who happens to share my blood too, so new rule:

YOU DON'T SHARE MY BLOOD, YOU DON'T TOUCH MY BODY!

(ok, but if you're in-laws or BFF, we'll say you share my blood)

Just doin' what we do best....DORKIN' AROUND!

Um...so I guess I've "popped!"

2009-03-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

So, 1 and a half weeks ago, I thought I was huge....

But then suddenly, LESS than 2 weeks later here I am!

And so, today I was thrilled when a cute lady at the store asked me how far along I was! People stare at my belly all of the time, but this is the first time a complete stranger has asked, YAY!

Now maybe I don't have to get a t-shirt that says,

"Not JUST fat; pregnant"

Ok, but the kicker is this...before I could answer the lady about my due date, she added,

"You've got to be, what, 5 or 6 months along right?"

My first instinct was to say yes and walk away....but instead, I said,

"You'd think so, but I'm 15 weeks...3 1/2 months..."

You should have seen the look on her face! I should have gone with my first instict!

SO, the moral of my story is...

the next time someone asks me when I'm due, I'll say "Tomorrow." Then, for now anyway, I'll get such nice compliments;

"Oh, you look fantastic!" "That's amazing! I wouldn't have guessed farther than 6 months!" And I'll say,

"I know, I'm so lucky I'm not one of those really MASSIVE FAT pregnant women who look like they're 6 months when they're really 3, can you imagine?"

What else do you do in Oklahoma?

2009-03-28T14:53:00.001-07:00

Go to the Circus of course!

(even if it looks like you might get robbed before you even walk into the joint!)

I think this is what they actually rode into town in! Jealous!

Ok, did you seriously think we would go to the circus and NOT get cotton candy??

(frankly...it was very nearly the highlight of our evening.)

Ok, so I have to admit, I half expected to see possums and armadillos here rather than actual lions and tigers...but I wasn't a bit surprised, and was quite thoroughly entertained when the circus cats refused to perform and just laid down for the majority of their act...worth every penny!

This actually was pretty cool; all of the tight-rope walkers and what-not performed without a net...that DID freak me out a bit.

What do you do in Oklahoma?

2009-03-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

At this point, I know there are many of you that are asking yourselves,

"What does one do in Oklahoma?"

And the answer is...Wait, how should I know? I'm still trying to figure that out! Any ideas?

There is a bowling alley on EVERY corner! But we both hate bowling! (mostly because we both suck at it!) So, we hit up the movies...almost every single one! Including movies like Coraline in 3-D! (don't laugh, you would too!)

But before you start thinking we're totally pathetic, we also go hiking once or twice a week at least. I suppose that's the beauty of having a dog...it forces you to get out of the house...and with Indie, we get out a LOT!

Welcome to the closest thing Oklahoma has to a mountain...Mt. Scott and the wildlife refuge we live at on the weekends.

Yep, we've got buffalo baby! And since this was shot with a tiny point and shoot camera, they seem decievingly far away...rest assured, they were quite close!

Our European Adventure...Summer of 08'

2009-03-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Posting pictures of travelling is like peeing on yourself; Yes everyone can see it, but only you get to feel the warmth it brings. Sorry I can't share the warmth.

(From Ty)

Our trip to Europe was all that I thought it would be - spiritually enlightening, gastricly entertaining, and with countless opportunities to meet and enjoy new people. We wandered the streets of Paris, and climbed the Swiss Alps near Annecy. We struggled to learn French, and enjoyed ourselves as we experienced another culture like we never had before. This opportunity to travel in Europe was an eye opener, a beginning, a view of the life that we want to share together as a family. We grew to appreciate more fully the French - with all their perceived foibles and idiosyncrasies. We simply enjoyed our time. What a trip!

(From Cass)

I'm still working on putting together the album, but here it is...thus far. Aside from the Album cover and the "title page" (the first two pages), the album is set up in 2 page spreads. You should be able to click on an image to enlarge it in a new window.

I shot the photos, and Ty wrote the commentary; it is so fun to go back and re-live the experience and now share it with you! Hope you enjoy; Ty is such an entertaining writer!

Preg-o my Egg-o!! (adding to the story)

2009-02-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, so usually the first clear answer is enough...

But I needed 5 more to be really sure...not to mention a blood test.

Well, I was only guessing on the date, which I figured was sometime early to mid October, but it's actually September 29, which potentially could still be October...guess we'll see.

Ok, so for the sake of telling the whole story, here it is... (I'll try to stick to the sweetened condensed version, but I'll only try.)

Miscarriage #1 happened just 2 months after our wedding! Yikes! We definitely were suprised considering the lengths we'd gone to for "protection." But, it definitely got us thinking. I've known since I was about 15 or 16 that I have a condition called PCOS; in short, I have numerous overgrown cysts on my ovaries (too much info? Then you don't know me very well!)

So, we decided that we probably ought to start trying in case it took us a long time. (And it did)

14 months went by with 3, possibly 4 periods; 2 of which were miscarriages, 1 (the "possible" one) lasted about 2 minutes and 1 lasted exactly 1 day shy of 4 months long!!! On my list of fun things to do, that ranks somewhere below sitting in a bathtub full of scissors. So, I went back on the pill for my sanity and to attempt to get into a little better shape.

This is where we insert a story tangent (yep, I'm good at those!)

Many of you know my struggle to lose weight. I kept slowly gaining weight despite some serious efforts to lose it! I did weight watchers (lost 10 lbs and kept it off), worked with personal trainer number 1, gained 2 lbs. Worked with personal trainer number 2 doing "The Biggest Loser" up in Logan, where I also had 2 nutritionists to work with. I got into great shape as far as how far, fast and long I could run and swim etc., and my clothes fit slightly differently, but after 3 months of being INCREDIBLY dedicated, working with the trainer 5 times/week for 1 hour and then 6 days a week on my own for 1.5 hrs/day, eating 1200 (VERY HEALTHY) calories/day with a deficit of nearly 3500-4000/day; By all accounts, I should have been loosing about a pound a day according the the math that everyone swears by, but instead I lost 4 lbs (which I gained back). So, for the next 3 months, I rebelled and litterally didn't exercise and ate pretty much whatever I wanted and low and behold, I lost 2 lbs! A little messed up if you ask me.

In the mean time, my cute mommy was dropping weight like crazy! And so were my inlaws! My mom lost over 40 lbs in 2008 (You're beautiful and you rock mom!!)

Isn't she hot??

Sickies! :)

And then of course my inlaws were dropping weight faster than I could blink! I think my father-in-law, Guy is already up to around 150 lbs!! I wish I had a more recent photo to show off since they've continued to loose MUCH more!

(I'm so proud of you guys!!)

Needless to say, I was VERY inspired! And so was Ty. So we decided to get to the bottom of things and figure out how to Git-r-done! So we pulled out our "hot" photos...you know the ones we wish to burn, but keep them out of sheer morbid curiousity.

Doesn't seem too bad....but oh, it gets worse, believe you me!

This is where ty gets mad at me for posting these, but lets be honest, he can hold his weight REALLY well....JERK!

Oh my my....I've seriously dreaded putting these up! But alas, here's the dirty dirty truth!

You might be asking yourself, "How did this happen?" Ok, YOU might not be, but I was!

But then I found out some interesting information one day while searching the web about fertility (as, at the time, we had decided to go off the pill again). I found an article about insulin resistance...which I thought I might have. And truly, it was the answer to all my problems; my unexplained weight issues and infertility. The gist: my insulin is all out of whack! Without the right food combinations, my insulin spikes and thus stores whatever I've just eaten as fat immediately. Not very thrilling. Because of the constant commotion in my body with the hormones and whatnot, I also don't generally ovulate. Also, not fun. The answer: Protein baby!

I got on the same diet program as my mom and my inlaws and 3 months later, here I am and Ty, each nearly 50 lbs lighter!!

(sorry for the re-post, just driving the point home)

So, YAY for us! And I almost got to my goal weight before getting preg-o, which is pretty dang exciting, and now I know exactly how to lose the weight in the future!

Now, tying up the rest of the original story; in the fall, Ty and I found out that FOR SURE he would be deploying sometime later in 2009. Immediately, Ty and I both thought only of one thing, a baby. While we had been trying for all of this time, we hadn't gone the route of fertility treatments yet, so it was time. So, we were about to start fertility treatments when my body started to change...I won't say how exactly, but you mothers know exactly what I'm talking about! I didn't believe it was possible at first considering my history, and the fact that it had been MANY MANY months since my last cycle, but I was sure I had to be pregnant. So with fertility treatments just 1 week away from starting, I took a test....and here we are!

Dashboard Music Video!

2009-01-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

Alrighty...here's some HIGH quality entertainment for ya Baby!!

Watch the video and laugh hard!

Okay, so needless to say, we were bored...

The real way to live life...

2009-01-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

"I had a dream and I heard music

and there were children standing around,

but no one was dancing. I asked a

little girl, Why not? and she said

they didn't know how, or maybe the used to

but the forgot and so I started to hop

up and down and the children asked me,

Is that dancing? and I laughed and said, no,

that's hopping, but at least it's a start

and soon everyone was hopping and

laughing and it didn't matter anymore

that no one was dancing."

-b. andreas

2009-01-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

So here's a bit about our Gang:

Cassia...

I never fold my underwear or match my socks; I think it's a waste of time... I love the fall and all things pertaining to it. I love movies, all kinds of movies. I'm the best singer in my car. Jim Gaffigan is a comedic genius. If ever I make cookies and say that they're homemade from scratch, don't believe me, not for a second because indeed they were once refrigerated squares at your local grocery store. I love 90's music and Oasis (You're my wonderwall!). I laugh when people trip, and cry at chick flicks. I love people especially the boy next door who stole my heart and sealed it to his May 13, 2006!

Tyrell...

What can I say? I'd jump on Oprah's couch for that girl. (more to come) ...And here it is, so I do the whole army thing; you know, fight the bad guys, look cool and all that stuff. It's not permanent, but it should be fun while it lasts.

Indiana aka "Indie"...

Feel free to interact with me. All my shots are current! Don't get me too excited; sometimes I pee. Occasionally I really do catch my tail! I'm willing to share the remote if you'll rub my belly.