The Waters Family

December/Christmas

2011-01-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

I love December and Christmas time. And this year was no different! We had a lot of fun getting into the Christmas spirit and starting new traditions with our little family. Here's a recap:

Kolton LOVED the Christmas lights. He would get really excited when we turned on the Christmas tree and lights around the house. He also loved driving around at night, looking at all the lights. It definitely kept him occupied while driving! We would constantly hear "ights" and "oohhh" coming from the backseat as we passed houses with lights. Poor kid doesn't quite understand what happened to all the lights now that Christmas is over.

Kolton also enjoyed "helping" us decorate Christmas cookies. He ate the cookies faster than we could decorate them!

I don't know how much Kolton enjoyed this, but I really enjoyed dressing him in Christmas outfits/colors.

We took new family pictures and sent out this Christmas card: (I know the picture quality is horrible, but you get the gist!)

Can you tell a difference with Kolton in these pictures??

Yep, the Santa curse came over Kolton this year. He definitely didn't like being in the same room as Santa. If you show him a picture of Santa, he gets excited and says "santa", but seeing him in person makes his skin crawl. He even had two chances to like him, but it was no use. I kept trying to explain to him that Santa is nice and brings you presents, but he didn't listen. Maybe next year...

The week before Christmas, we went with Ryan's mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law to the coast to get away for a couple days. California had been getting a lot of rain, so it wasn't the best weather, but it was still a nice mini-vacation away from home.

We stayed in California for Christmas this year. It was low-key and very relaxing. We got to start our little family traditions for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It was a lot of fun. For Christmas Eve, we relaxed most of the day, had a nice dinner and then went to watch a light show that a house in the area puts on. Kolton enjoyed it for the first 15 minutes, but started to lose interest after (it was over 30 minutes long). We came home and then opened our Christmas Eve presents, which are always jammies. Here is Kolton in his jammies before he went to bed:

We woke up Christmas morning and I made Ryan carry on the Oldroyd tradition of starting a fire, turning on Christmas music, and ringing a bell to let us know we could come down and open presents. It is now a Waters tradition, whether he likes it or not! :) We learned our lesson last year and definitely cut back on presents for Kolton. Kolton still wasn't old enough to really get excited when he saw his presents, but he helped open everyone and has enjoyed them all. Kolton got a play tent with balls, a table and chairs, an Elmo chair, a pillow pet, a couple Elmo DVD's, and some clothes, along with some smaller stalking stuffer gifts.

After we opened presents and played for a little while, we went over to Ryan's parents house and had breakfast and opened more presents there. Then we came back home to put Kolton down for a good nap before heading back over to their house for dinner after Kolton woke up.

It was a very nice, relaxing day. I need to be better at taking family pictures, so next year I will get one! I am already excited for next year!

Can you tell he loves Elmo? He kept this outfit on ALL day (even his slippers and at times, his Elmo sweater)

Exhausted after a fun-filled day!

Disney World and Universal

2011-01-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

My grandpa has a time share in Orlando for a week in November, so every year my family (or some of them) meet my grandpa for a Disney/Universal trip. I hadn't been since I was in high school and my grandpa has said that he wants to sell the time share, so Ryan and I decided to take advantage of a free place to stay and join them this year. We met my grandpa, his wife, Mary Lou, my mom, my dad, Hannah, my Aunt Julie, my cousin Olivia, and my Aunt Vicki. We spent 2 days at Universal (one day on each side) and then went to Disney's Magic Kingdom for a day, which included Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party--where you buy a special ticket and they close the park to all other people and have lights, decorations, music, free cookies and hot chocolate, a christmas parade, and all the rides with less lines. It was a very fun and busy few days.

I was very nervous wondering how Kolton would do with his schedule all mixed up, a 3 hour time change, no naps in his own bed (which he loves), and just long, long days in his stroller. To my surprise, he did wonderful! He was such a trooper and had no major meltdowns!! He even fell asleep sitting up on my lap during one of the rides!! We had a lot of fun and I can't wait to take him back when he is older and gets more excited about everything!

Day 1: Islands of Adventure (with the new Harry Potter part--awesome!)

Entrance to Harry Potter...the detail was so amazing!!

Butterbeer = NASTY!!!

Waiting patiently for everyone to get done with the "big kid" rides

FINALLY a ride for Kolton! :)

My dad took one for the team and went on a water ride with the little girls even though it was getting cold outside...and this is how we repay him :)

Day 2: Universal Studios

Not quite sure at first about the characters, but ended up really liking them!

Minus Ryan

With Ryan

Notice anything different with Kolton?? Yep, we had to buy him a new outfit because he had too much fun playing in the kid area with water, which soaked his shirt and jean shorts. There were a lot of T-shirts, but not many choices if you needed a whole new outfit! Luckily we found this one :) And he spent pretty much the whole day in it, so we got most of out moneys worth!

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

Another day in the stroller....

Waiting for It's A Small World

Can you tell Ryan is having a fun time? :)

A little family pic/nap before our 7pm-12am Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party begins!

This sums up the trip...had a blast, but was VERY exhausted by the end of it!

Halloween

2011-01-17T14:08:00.000-08:00

Kolton really enjoyed Halloween this year. It's so much fun to see him grow and get to the age that he can enjoy the holidays more and participate in the festive activities.

He loved going to the pumpkin patch. We pretty much spent our time chasing after him. He picked out his own pumpkin, had a blast going through the kids haystack maze, and even took some cute family pictures...although we all weren't in a picture together...

He also enjoyed helping us carve our Elmo and Cookie Monster pumpkins...for about 15 minutes before he ran off to play with his toys. He's not a fan of having anything on his hands, so as long as he had his "tools", he was good to go. Ryan and I aren't even close to being pros at carving pumpkins, but I thought they turned out pretty good! Believe me, they were much harder than they look!

And of course, Kolton enjoyed going to the ward trunk-or-treat and also trick-or-treating as the one and only, Elmo! Isn't he the cutest Elmo you've seen?

Fall 2010

2011-01-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of things we did during the fall...

Got bigger and cuter...

Tried to avoid the scorching heat by playing in the garage...notice the red cheeks still...

Played at the park and visited the ducks....

Got stuck...

Had fun playing with water...

Found a new "hang out" spot...

Got the flu for the first time... :(

Found our LOVE for Elmo...

Showed some booty...

Read lots of books....

And got even cuter....

One is Easier Than Three!

2011-01-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad took a trip to England for a week in September, so Kolton and I flew out to Georgia to help watch my nieces, Hannah and Ava. It was a lot of fun, and made me realize that 3 kids is a lot of work! For now, I'll stick with my one little guy. Here are some pictures of the trip:

During that week we managed to take a trip up to the lakehouse. It was Kolton's first time, and for the most part he enjoyed it. The only thing he wasn't too fond of was going on the tube...maybe next year....

The boys sticking together...

Kolton's LOVED playing with Holly. I don't think it will be too long before he starts asking to get his own dog...(sorry the picture is fuzzy)

My Little Toddler

2010-08-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Kolton has grown up SO fast! Ever since he has started walking, he has become more of a toddler than a baby. I still call him my "baby", but every day he learns to do something new and reminds me that he is a "big boy". I love the stage that he is in now (walking, talking more and showing more personality), but it also makes me sad. I know now why women have more than one child! (But don't worry, no 2nd child for us just yet).

Kolton is almost 14 months and is definitely a chatter box. He will talk up a storm with his hand moving and finger pointing, especially if he is on some kind of "pedestal" (he has a toy that he stands on and talks away). I always wonder what he is "talking" about. He will have full on conversations with you, pausing as you talk back to him, and then continuing on. It is the cutest thing ever. Although most of his words are in gibberish, he has learned quite a few words. We have counted 22 words he can say (if he choses to). A lot of them are just part of the word or sound, but he definitely knows what he's saying. Here are the words he has said (or attempted to say):

momma

dada

no no

juice

bye bye

night night

ball

doggie

shoes (shh)

banana (nana)

dance (dan)

eyes (I)

teeth (te)

belly button (bell butt) :)

cheese

light

bubbles

applesauce

hot (ot)

please

Elmo (his new LOVE)

He has also gotten a lot better at understanding what we say. If I say, for example, do you want to eat, he will run to the refrigerator or pantry. If I say, lets go bye-bye, he will run to the door. If I say I have to go potty (I know...), he will run to the bathroom. And there's many more.

It's so fun to see him grow and progress. Of course, I think he's way smart! :) I am so grateful to have him as my son and that he chose me to be his mom. I hope I can give and provide him with all the love and necessities that will help him grow up to be a loving, smart and responsible man. But I hope the "man" part doesn't come too soon....it's already going way too fast!! I love him with all my heart!!

Plays hard, crashes harder

See...he used to look so small in this thing....!!

Gotta love him!

Definitely a boy!

End of Summer

2010-08-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well, the summer has come to an end for the Waters family. Ryan went back to work this week which has forced me to remember what it is like being home with Kolton by myself. Kolton is a great and fairly easy baby, so it's not horrible, but it was nice having dada home to help entertain him as well (and dada is very helpful!!). I am blessed to be able to stay home again this year with Kolton. I will be watching a little boy from our ward, who is a few months older than Kolton, on Thursdays and Fridays. I am also hoping to help out at the elementary school where I last taught for a few hours a week. So between the two, I will be bringing in a little bit of money for the family, and still get to be at home for the most part with the little guy. I'm excited to see how this year ("school year") goes for our family!

Our big vacation this summer was to San Diego. We went with our good friends, Rory and Lindsay, the last week in July. I was a little nervous on how Kolton would do with the drive, sleeping in the hotel (since he usually only sleeps well in his crib and we were sharing a room with Rory and Lindsay), and the busy schedule we had planned. But lucky for all of us, Kolton was a trooper and did great! While in San Diego, we went to the zoo, the Wild Animal Park, Sea World and a Padres game. It was a busy couple of days, but it was a ton of fun! I wish we lived closer to San Diego, not only for the fun things to do, but for the nice weather! Although it was a nice trip, there's nothing like coming home to the comfort of your own house and bed. We didn't scare off Rory and Lindsay, so hopefully there will be more trips like this in the future! Here are some pictures of the trip:

Liked the merry-go-round at first, but not when it got "fast"

Waiting for the Shamu show

GREAT family pic...thanks Ryan!

After getting sunburned the day before, he got sunscreen in his eye...poor guy

LOVED the Elmo ride!

MUCH better picture!

The whole gang

Fourth of July

2010-07-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

We had a very relaxing Fourth of July this year. On Saturday, we had a BBQ at some family friends house. Then on Sunday, Drew and Megan came over for dinner and fireworks. Because Kolton goes to bed around 8:30 and it isn't quite dark by then, we had to do our fireworks a little early. Kolton did really well with the fireworks at first, but then after one of them went a little crazy, I screamed, and it scared him. After that, he had had enough of the fireworks and was ready for bed. All in all, it was a great weekend!

Your next American Idol is..

2010-07-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

KOLTON WATERS!!

Kolton's First Birthday

2010-07-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

Kolton turned ONE on June 28th. I cannot believe it has already been a year! I have truly LOVED watching him grow from a tiny baby to a walking and independent toddler. I always say that I now understand why women have more than one child...he's no longer my little baby boy!! I look forward to the many more years and memories we will have with him. Here is a little bit about Kolton at one year old:

--Weight: 20 lbs. 12 ounces (25%)

--Height: 29 & 5/8' (50 %)

--He has 5 teeth and 3 on the way.

--He sleeps completely though the night (usually goes down around 8 or 9 and wakes up around 6:30).

--He LOVES his bed and will only sleep well in his OWN bed....with it completely quiet and dark. If we are lucky enough to get him to fall asleep while we are out and about, it will only be for 30 minutes.

--He is a very alert and curious child. He LOVES to be outside "exploring". He won't sit still for very long and is ALWAYS on the go. It's no wonder that I can't fatten him up...he burns so many calories during the day!

--He figured out walking right before his birthday and has not stopped since! I'm in real trouble when he figures out running!!

--He is a picky eater (taste buds must have kicked in). He stopped eating vegetables around 7 months. He gags every time I try to give him some. I try to get him to eat new things, although it usually ends in me throwing it all away.

--He does like to eat: yogurt, cinnamon bread, cheese, fruit, gerber cheetos, fruit roll ups, goldfish, and ice cream.

--He LOVES to talk. He will talk forever, and usually gets his finger pointing and shaking if it's something important.

--He can say/understand: momma, dadda, uh-oh ("uh"), no no and night night (which sound the same). He is close to saying shoes and eyes.

--He loves his blankie and paci. If it is nap time and you ask him where his paci or blankie is, he looks around for them until he finds them and gets a huge grin on his face. He has recently started carrying his blanket around the house with him.

--He pushes a little toy car around while saying "vroom", tries to roar like a lion, dances (really shakes) anytime music comes on, and has tried to "fake" snore like daddy.

--When he does something he knows he's not supposed to do, he usually looks for you and gives you a huge grin while doing it. He usually laughs/smiles when we say "no".

--He LOVES wrestling with mommy and daddy. We have had to be careful because when he goes up to other kids, he a little rough. In his mind, he's probably just thinking that he's playing!

I could go on forever sharing things about this special little guy! We truly are blessed to have him in our lives and love him a ton!!

For his birthday, we had a Toy Story themed party with a few family and friends. We had originally planned on having it at a local park, but we moved it to my in-laws due to the fact that it was the hottest day of the year (106, I believe). My mom was able to fly out to celebrate with us!! Here are some pictures of his big day:

Ema!!

Present from Ema and Papa

Present from Grandma and Grandpa Waters

He LOVES his present from Momma and Dadda! :)

What's summer without swimming??

2010-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

And Kolton LOVES the water!! Here are some pictures of his first time in a "real" pool:

Summer time....

2010-07-09T20:55:00.001-07:00

One of the nice things about Ryan being a teacher is that he gets the whole summer off!! To kickoff this summer, we took a mini trip to Monterey. We invited Ryan's mom, Lisa, to join us. The best part was getting out of the central valley heat and enjoying cooler weather! While we were there, we visited the aquarium, walked and shopped down cannery row, enjoyed fisherman's wharf, and made a quick stop at the beach. Here are some pictures of our trip:

Soo tired...he never sleeps well unless he's in his own bed...like his momma

Notice his left leg??? The WHOLE time we walked around, this is how he put his leg...weirdo! :)

WALKING!!!

2010-05-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, Kolton has started figuring out how to walk. Where has the time gone? Although he is getting pretty good at it, he still would much rather crawl. Well, actually if he had his choice, he would hold onto one of my hands and walk to get around, but that gets tiring (for mommy). We go walking outside and "explore" everyday, and he absolutely loves it. I can't wait until he is able to walk around on his own and watch him explore more of the world. I say that knowing that I will probably wish I had never said that, since I will be running all over the place trying to keep up with him. But since he's crawling, he's already everywhere, so what's the difference, right?

Here's a quick video of him walking:

Like Father, Like Son

2010-05-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Kolton LOVES his dada. He gets SO excited when Ryan comes home, saying "dada" over and over again. It's so fun to watch him light up when Ryan walks through the door. Sometimes I wish I worked all day so that when I came home, Kolton would get that excited to see me. I guess that's what happens when he's with me all day, everyday!

There are many things that Kolton gets from Ryan. His big eyes, height, lips, funny/quirky personality, love of fruit, and dislike of cuddling :)...to name a few. These are all things, except for the cuddling, that I love of both of them. But recently I have realized there is one other thing that Kolton seems to be getting from his dad.....a love of video games. I know, he's only 10 months old, but anytime Ryan plays video games (which I have to admit, isn't very often), Kolton loves to be right by him, holding onto a controller himself. See for yourselves....

All I have to say is, "oh please!!" Lets just hope his love of the outdoors sticks with him when he gets older!!

Kolton also loves to be outside with his daddy when he's doing yard work. This is something both Ryan and I hope continues as he gets older so he can help with (or do) the yard work :)

Soo Big

2010-05-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

And it's true...Kolton is getting so big, so fast! It's exciting, but sad at the same time. He's no longer a little baby anymore. He's turning into a little boy. No wonder people have multiple children.

Everything is a toy in this house....

2010-05-13T14:28:00.001-07:00

Especially if it isn't meant to be a toy. See for yourself...

Movie stand/movies (notice how empty the stand is...)

Wipes...I went to do the dishes for 2 minutes and this is what I came back to!

But look at that face...:)

Toilet paper...

Caught in the act!! :)

Feet...Yes, I know, disgusting! But Kolton LOVES trying to eat/bite my toes. If I just wiggle my toes and he sees them, he comes crawling with a huge smile on his face. Weird!

Any kind of recycling, especially empty plastic bottles.

Pillows....

I have come to the conclusion that Kolton doesn't need anymore toys. Obviously, based on this evidence, he can be entertained for much cheaper than I thought! :)

Random

2010-04-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we decided to be adventurous and take Kolton to the local Renaissance Fair. We went with Ryan's brother, Drew, and his wife, Megan. Shockingly, I was excited to go. I have fond memories of going to Renaissance Fairs when I was younger, so I had high hopes. Ryan, on the other hand, was going just to make me happy. By the look on our faces, you can see how exciting it was. Needless to say, we were only there for about 30 minutes!

Since Kolton began crawling, he is everywhere!! He has gotten pretty good at pulling himself up on things. We have had to finally "baby proof" our house, although we find things daily that still need baby-proofing. He loves climbing up on the treadmill, stairs, and mommy and daddy. I love when he plays with his toys and sits on his knees. I think it is the cutest thing from the back.

One morning, I went in to get Kolton from a nap and found him "chilling" in his crib. He was sitting in the corner of his crib with both of his hands resting on the bumper. I tried to get the camera and take a quick picture, but as you can see, I wasn't quite fast enough to catch him before he moved.

Kolton LOVES to be outside. He would spend all day outside if I let him. The only problem we have found is that all he wants to do is "walk" around everywhere. I have spent a ton of time holding onto his hands and walking all around outside with him. But there is only so much of that I can do before my back starts to hurt! So I decided to bring his walker out and stick him in that. As you can see, he LOVES it! He especially loves going down the driveway....with his little feet moving as quickly as they can go.

Got the sunscreen on...I'm ready!

Not quite sure what to think of it...

First steps in...

Not liking it at first

"Get me out, Mommy"

Trying to reassure him that it's ok....just like the bathtub!

Starting to like it more

Not wanting to get out!

Two of Kolton's favorite things are water (bath time) and being outside. Put those two together, and you get swimming. We have had a few days of really nice weather, so we decided to blow up our kiddy pool. Kolton did not like it at first. It was a lot colder than being in the bath, but once his body got used to the water, he LOVED it. I have a feeling we will be spending our fair share outside this summer watching him in the pool.

On a side note, yes, that is our lovely dirt and weed backyard. We are hoping to get it finished soon so Kolton has a nicer view while he's in the pool.

Kolton's Firsts

2010-04-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, which has been quite a while ago (I know...I promised myself I would get better at keeping up with this thing!), Kolton has continued to have a lot of firsts. Here are some of his firsts....

Kolton's First Plane Ride/Christmas: For Christmas, we flew to Georgia to celebrate with my family. It was Kolton's first plane ride, which I was very nervous for. He did really well, considering how long the flight was, and only had one little meltdown for a few minutes.

At the airport..Kolton's first plane ride!

We were able to spend 2 weeks in Georgia and we really enjoyed visiting family and friends during that time.

Kolton must have been really good the first 6 months of his life, because he was definitely spoiled by Santa...or as his bib said..."who needs santa when I have grandma".

Kolton's First Cruise/Beach Day: While in Georgia, my family was able to go on a week long cruise. We went to Cozumel and Calica, Mexico. A baby has to be 6 months old to go on a cruise, and we left on the exact day that Kolton turned 6 months!! During our stop in Calica, we took Kolton to the beach for the day (or for a few hours). He didn't like the crashing of the waves, but surprisingly, didn't mind the sand! Cruises are definitely the way to travel, and I think Kolton enjoyed it! He was a trooper the whole week! We returned home with a child who had an ear infection and bronchitis!

Kolton's First Wedding: In March, my brother, Matt got married! Ryan, Kolton and I flew out for the occasion. It was a very busy few days!! Poor Kolton was exhausted by the end of the week! Kolton was able to meet some of my moms family: my uncle Bob and Aunt Vicki, my aunt Julie and my grandpa Mooring. It was great getting to see everyone. During this short trip, we also went to the park to feed the ducks and watched Shannon go off to senior prom! I always say that any chance/opportunity to get out to Georgia, I am all for it!

Ryan left early to get back to work, so Kolton and I got to stay and get spoiled by my mom!! We had a great time shopping and hanging out. I was very nervous flying home because I would be flying with Kolton for the first time by myself. Depsite the nerves, everything went as smoothly as it could have gone.

Kolton's First Trip to the Zoo: One of the perks of Ryan being a teacher is that he gets a lot of time off. A couple weeks ago, Ryan had his spring break. We decided to take Kolton on his first trip to the zoo. It was a beautiful day that day and we had a lot of fun. Kolton enjoyed the zoo as much as you would expect a 9 month old child to! He didn't really know what was going on at first and was more interested in watching the people around him then actually looking at the animals. The bigger animals caught (and kept) his attention easier.

Kolton's First Time Brushing his Teeth: After going to Kolton's 9 month well check, the doctor suggested that we start brushing his 2 little bottom teeth. I was glad he mentioned it, because the great mom that I am hadn't even thought about that! They doctor also gave him a prescription for fluoride. So Kolton now brushes his teeth twice a day!!

Kolton's First Time Crawling: Kolton began crawling the week after he turned 9 months. At first I couldn't wait for him to crawl because he is such an active child that it was hard keeping him occupied and happy not knowing where he wanted to go. I have since learned how nice it was to be able to set him down and have him stay relatively in the same spot!! We have begun our "child proofing" around the house and continue to find things daily that we have to change around so that he doesn't destroy everything!

Kolton's First Easter: A couple weekend ago we enjoyed Easter by decorating eggs, watching conference, getting Easter baskets and having a nice Easter dinner with Ryan's family. It was a blast!

Meeting Santa

2009-12-12T20:53:00.000-08:00

Last night Ryan and I took Kolton to the local mall to meet Santa. It seems pretty silly to take a 6 month old who has no clue what's going on to meet Santa, but we wanted the classic picture. We were very curious to see how Kolton would react and both bet that he would cry (I think because we were both secretly hoping that that was what would happen...I know, harsh, but aren't the crying pictures so funny?). To our surprise, he didn't even fuss. As you can tell by the picture, he wasn't quite sure what was going on or who was holding him, but there was no crying to be heard. We had a hard time getting him to look in the direction of the camera because he wanted to look up at the curious man holding him. When it was time to get him from Santa, the man asked if we really wanted to take him with us because he was enjoying holding such a cute kid that wasn't crying. Here is the picture.....

Yes...I know, Santa's shirt is hideous!! We were one of the first ones in line and as he came in and sat down, he took of his coat and I about died! I went to the mall today and happened to walk by the Santa and he was taking pictures with his coat on!! Should have waited until today!

Rice Cereal

2009-11-04T16:05:00.001-08:00

Last night we gave our first attempt at feeding Kolton rice cereal. He wasn't too fond of it and most of what we tried to put in his mouth ended up elsewhere, but we know it will take time! I'm hoping once he gets the hang of eating it, he will sleep better at night.

4 Months

2009-11-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

Kolton turned 4 months a week ago and had his check-up yesterday. Here is an update on his growth:

Weight: 15 pounds 2 ounces (50th percentile)

Height: 25 inches (50th percentile)

And they didn't do his head for some reason

So it looks like we have an middle of the pack baby. Everything else was good and he is learning and growing each day. We learn more and more about him everyday and get to see more of his personality shining though. Here are just a few of the things we have learned about Kolton:

LIKES:

**baths--every time I undress him to get in the bath he gets super happy and gets a big smile

on his face when I pick him up to put him in the tub. He could stay in the bath for hours!

**screaming/yelling--he likes to listen to his voice and many times, this means screaming and

yelling. Cute and funny at times...annoying at other times! :)

**his feet--he has found his feet and loves to pull his legs up and grab his toes. Usually he

screams/yells while doing this.

**his stroller and going on walks--just about everyday I take Kolton for a walk in his stroller. He is a very alert little boy and loves to just "chill" in his stroller and look around.

**drooling and spitting up---not the funnest thing!

**standing--he would much rather stand then sit.

**his mommy--I think he might be a mommas boy! :) Not that I'm trying to influence it!

DISLIKES:

**naps--we have had trouble with naps for awhile now, but he has now realized that when we walk into his room and turn off the lights, it's time for a nap, so he starts crying the minute

we walk in!

**his car seat/car--he has gotten much better within the last few weeks, and in fact, will fall

asleep in it. This is a big change from crying as soon as we left the driveway!

**loud/sudden noises or people crowding around him--Kolton is a sensitive little guy. Being

the only child in a somewhat quiet house with quiet parents, he hasn't been around loud

noises or big crowds a ton. When he is, he often makes this pouty face that is the cutest

and saddest thing or he will get scared and cry.

**being on his tummy for long--he can usually only last a couple of minutes before he starts crying. He can roll over onto his back, although it is a rare trick for him. And that won't happen if he gets upset while on his tummy.

Kolton's First Halloween

2009-11-01T09:34:00.001-08:00

This year was Kolton's first Halloween (duh...). We dressed him up as a panda. Here's the story behind our decision to make him a panda....Ryan was a panda when he was a little kid and his family always talks about the picture they have of that Halloween. There have been many laughs around that picture and of Ryan as a panda. So Jason and Tiana (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) came across this costume before Kolton was born and had to get it for him so he could be like his daddy :) It is the cutest panda costume! It has been sitting in his closet for many months and last night he was FINALLY able to wear it!

A little blurry...he wouldn't stop moving...he was excited! :)

ALL smiles :)

So once he was ready, we took him out trick-or-treating. And let's just say that it is quite awkward and embarrassing knocking on doors and asking for candy when my child obviously cannot eat any of it!! We ended up following a few other kids so that it wouldn't be quite so weird, but that didn't really work. It was a good thing Kolton got tired after about 5 houses and didn't really care because we were happy to be done!

Ready to go home!

Mountains and Pumpkins

2009-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Last saturday was a fun filled day. We took Kolton up to the mountains for the first time. We didn't go too far up, but it was still a nice trip. It still amazes me that we live so close to the mountains, but are only able to see them a few days a year since the smog is so bad here. All in all it was very relaxing.

car ride up

Daddy and Kolton

Smiley baby

When we got home, I thought it would be fun to paint our pumpkins (I decided to paint instead of carve them because I thought it would be more fun to do with Kolton). Kolton didn't know what was going on...I mean he's only 4 months....what was I thinking? Despite the mess and need for a bath afterwards, it was a fun time.

Getting ready..not quite sure what's going on

Here we go!

First mishap...

Second mishap...

Working so hard!

Ok, getting bored...15 seconds later :)

Tired after a long day!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we took Kolton to his first pumpkin patch. He had a great time and was pooped by the time we left.

Kolton and Mommy

2009-10-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with Kolton this year. I LOVE it!! There are days where I miss teaching and working, especially the social part of it, and think it would be a whole lot easier then being home, but I would not trade it for anything. I love being able to see Kolton grow and develop...from rolling from his tummy to his back to learning to grab toys and stick them in his mouth to the giggles. Being a mommy is wonderful and amazing!

One of the things we enjoy doing during the day is going for walks to the park:

3 Months

2009-10-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures of Kolton at 3 months...

Kolton's Blessing

2009-10-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

On September 13th, Kolton was blessed by Ryan. Being as this is our first child, we were both pretty nervous. You want it to be special and even though you know it will, it is still nerve-racking, especially for the father. Despite our nerves, the blessing was perfect and the spirit was very strong. Ryan did a wonderful job, knees shaking and all. :) I am so grateful for a husband who holds the priesthood. Kolton also did a great job... was awake for it and didn't fuss or cry at all. It is a day that I will remember!

We were surrounded by loving family and friends for Kolton's big day. My parents and brother flew in for the weekend. I LOVE when I get to spend time with my family.

Catch Up Time

2009-10-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well I have decided I'm not a very good blogger since it has been about 2 months since my last post. I thought I would play catch up on what our little family has been up to lately. Enjoy!

2 month check-up

2009-09-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

The other day I took Kolton to his 2 month check-up and here are the results:

Weight: 12 pounds 4 ounces

Height: 23 inches

Head: I forgot it....I know, bad!

Along with the general check-up, Kolton also received his round of shots. He received 3 shots and yes, he did cry. Poor little guy. He had no clue what was coming that day. Even though he cried, he calmed down shortly after. I keep telling myself that I was allowing my son to be in pain only for his benefit...right?

So Kolton is definitely a thriving stud. He has had no trouble gaining weight, that's for sure! His cute little thighs are getting pretty chubby! Lately, he has found his hand and at times would rather suck on his hand than his pacifier (we might have a thumb sucker in the future...). We are still working on nap times. He wakes up within 30 minutes after I put him down, without fail and no matter how tired he is. It has been very frustrating trying to get him to take a good solid nap without being held. But we are making some progress (just slowly). I can't complain too much because he does great at night.

I can't believe it has been 2 months since Kolton joined our family. We love him very much!!

his cute little smile (and dimple)

on his 2 month birthday

what a stud!

A few facts about Kolton

2009-08-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

Since Kolton is 6 weeks old, I thought I would share a few facts about him:

1) He is a grunter!!! The first 2 weeks after he was born he rarely cried...just grunted. At times it can be really funny and cute, but at 2:00 in the morning, it's not too funny!!

2) He LOVES ceiling fans, especially the one in our living room. In fact, in the picture of him smiling below he is looking up at the fan. We are still trying to teach him to smile when he sees mommy or daddy....right now he just smiles at his best friend...the fan. One day I'll get my smile!

3) He's not a big fan of soda, which is a big bummer for me. I'm going through withdrawals...

4) He is colic. Because of this, Ryan and I have not eaten dinner together for the past 3 weeks. It is the worst thing to have your child screaming and act like he's in a ton of pain and there's nothing you can do about it. One thing he does like during his colic episodes is to sit in his bouncer on top of the dryer.

5) When Kolton was born, he had the funny ability to bend his foot to touch his shin. It was the funniest thing ever! You can kindof see it in this picture...

6) Kolton came out with his hand by his face and to this day he loves to sleep with his hands up by his face.

7) When Kolton is awake, he loves to be facing forward to look around. This is how we walk around the house when he's awake:

8) He's not a big fan of his swing, but hopefully one day he will enjoy it more...that will give me a little break!

9) He is a great baby and we are very lucky that he chose us to be his parents. I can't believe how quickly he has already grown!!!

Kolton James Waters

2009-08-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to updating the blog since Kolton was born 6 weeks ago (I know...he's already 6 weeks!) I finally feel like I'm getting more of a handle on being a mom. So let me tell you about Kolton's appearance into this world:

On Saturday night, June 27th, Ryan and I had just gotten back from dinner and a movie. I sat down to watch a little T.V. before I went up to bed. About 9:45 I felt a little "pop" and felt like I had peed my pants a little. I immediately jumped up and went to the bathroom. I wasn't quite sure if it was my water breaking, since it wasn't a gush of water, but I knew that it wasn't "normal". So I went upstairs and told Ryan that I thought my water broke and the look on his face was priceless. After calling Ryan's parents and the hospital, we got ready to leave (I was literally shaking...I couldn't believe it was time). There was just one thing left to do...call my mom.

My moms flight was scheduled for Wednesday, so I dreaded the phone call (I had Ryan call). Both my mom and I were keeping our fingers crossed that Kolton would listen to us and wait until she got there (I even tried keeping my legs crossed more, but I guess the dinner and movie did it!). So it was about 1:00 a.m. Georgia time when Ryan called my mom. She told us she would get the first flight out that morning....but we had our doubts that she would even make it across the country in time.

So we got to the hospital about 11:00 p.m. and got checked in. I didn't start feeling contractions for a while, but once I felt them, I wanted the epidural!! I got the epidural, but it didn't work right. I got really numb in my chest and was having a hard time breathing, so they turned it off for an hour to let things settle. After an hour, they turned it back on (to a lower dose), but it wasn't getting rid of the pain. They tried another kind of medicine (can't remember what it's called), which helped the pain a little, but I still felt every contraction during labor. By the time I had Kolton, my legs were no longer numb and I had felt the worst pain in my life! Not the way I had pictured the epidural going!!

Well, things were progressing at a good pace, but not too fast. I was put on oxygen for awhile because Kolton's heart rate would drop really low during a contraction. About 8:00 I was 6 cm dilated. I was keeping my fingers crossed that my mom would make it in time (her flight got in at 11:30). At the pace I was going, I thought she would make it. But then they checked me about 9:00 and I was 9 1/2 cm dilated. I broke down because I knew I was close to pushing, which meant my mom would miss it (crazy I know...who cries because their labor is almost over?? or went too quickly??). An hour went by and then 2 hours went by and I was still at a 9 1/2. About 11:15 they checked me and I was ready to push!

I pushed for about an hour and 15 minutes. And believe it or not, at about 12:20ish my mom walked through the door!!! I was sooo happy to see her, although I didn't show it much since I was in so much pain!! Yes, she made it with only minutes to spare! (Isn't that the coolest thing?Kolton ended up listening to us and waiting until my mom was there!!) A few more pushes and 15 minutes later Kolton James was born:

12:34p.m. 7lbs. 10 ounces 20.5 inches

After much discussion on a name (we went into the hospital debating either Brayden or Aiden) we decided on Kolton. After looking at him, we thought he needed a strong name for his strong features and thought Kolton was the name.

He has his dads nose, lips, eye color (they are blue...yay!!), long fingers and big feet. He has the shape of my eyes, chin, ears and eyebrows (or lack thereof when born). He has dark hair, which we are guessing will turn blonde since Ryan and I had dark hair when we were born and are now blonde.

We are truly blessed to have Kolton in our lives. He makes us laugh everyday and we look forward to the laughter the rest of our lives. We love you Kolton!!

Any day now

2009-06-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

So I am almost 39 weeks. I had a doctors appointment on Tuesday where he checked my cervix. It is not completely closed off, so the doctor guessed that I would have the baby within the next week...let's see how accurate he is! You can guess with these things, but the baby is going to come on his terms.

I got a little nervous when the doctor made his guess because my mom isn't coming until Wednesday. I really want and need her to be there, so I'm hoping the doctor is off just a little!! That sounds crazy because most women at this stage of pregnancy are dying for that little one to come, and although I definitely want him to come soon, I want him to wait until my mom gets here! So now it's just a matter of time. I'm taking my moms advice and keeping my legs up and crossed to keep that baby in there!! Haha.

It's pretty crazy to think that in a matter of a couple of weeks I will be holding my little boy. It's always been something we have talked about as down the road, but it really could be any day now. It makes me very nervous, yet excited thinking about it. I just hope the labor and delivery go well!! The next time I blog, I will probably be a mommy!! How crazy!!

Here are pictures of me at 38 weeks:

And the wait begins....

2009-06-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was the last day of school/teaching. Although I was very ready to be done and have a break, it was a little sad as well. After much prayer and thought, I decided to take next year off to stay home with baby Waters. I am very excited and blessed to be able to stay home and wouldn't want it any other way, but it was a little sad leaving the nice school I was at and the sweet class that I had. I have a new adventure to take on, and I hope that if I could handle 30 third graders, I should be able to handle one little guy...hopefully!! Here is a picture of my class on the last day of school...they were an awesome class!

All year long I've been focused on getting through the school year. I'm grateful that I have worked through most of the pregnancy because it has kept me busy and active. Now that the school year has ended, the true waiting has begun. There are times where I love just sitting around and being lazy, and I've needed that at times, but it has been hard going from being "on the go" and teaching every day of the week to not having anything I "have" to do. I try to keep myself busy (I have made a list of all the things I would like to get done by the time the baby gets here), and that has helped, but it hasn't made time go by very quickly. I still have 3 more weeks and I have completed most of the things on my list. I shouldn't complain, but this waiting game is not very fun!! I know that I need to enjoy the time I have before the baby gets here, but can't he just come already!! I guess one thing I need to learn is patience and this is a good way of teaching me that trait.

Here is a picture I took today. I'm about 37 weeks (on Saturday). I can make it!!

May happenings

2009-05-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, so I thought I would catch up on a few things that have happened in May.

First, my 3rd grade co-workers gave me a baby shower at work. It turned out very cute and I got a lot of good gifts for the baby. Here are a few of pictures from the shower:

The yummy cake

One of the many "cakes" made from diapers

Hard to read, but VERY cute!!

The awesome gifts!!

Second, we took a much needed little vacation over the Memorial Day weekend. In the 3 1/2 hour drive, we went from Visalia with temperatures of the upper 90's to San Francisco with temperatures in the mid 50's. It was a nice break from the heat (especially for me!), but it turned out to be a little cooler than we had expected. The whole point of the trip was that we had tickets to see Wicked. I love this play! I recommend that everyone sees it! Ryan and I saw it last summer in New York. We enjoyed seeing it again, although New York's was better. We also did some shopping, went to Ghirardelli Square, the California Academy of Sciences museum, and Alcatraz. It was a TON of walking in 2 days and I was the caboose of the gang, but it was a TON of fun. One our way home we stopped at the Gilroy outlets. It was a full and eventful weekend. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

This is a horrible pic,

but it's the only one of us that weekend

And finally, I thought I would update you on my ever growing belly. I am now 35 weeks and counting down, although I know I still have awhile. I have been feeling pretty good still and the baby seems to be doing just fine. Within the last week, my feet have decided to swell pretty good. With teaching it doesn't help, but I'm drinking a lot of water and trying to put them up as much as possible. The doctor is guessing that the baby will be about average, which is 7 1/2 lbs. Lets see how accurate that is, considering Ryan was 10 lbs. We are getting very excited to see the little guy, but also more anxious and nervous for the labor and delivery. I hope all goes well!! Here's my 35 week picture:

Counting down the days

2009-05-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I posted , so I thought I would give an update. Not much has changed since I last posted, other than the fact that I'm getting bigger each day. I am now 33 weeks. I've been feeling pretty good still, although I get more tired and my feet have begun to swell a little. The swelling usually is the worst after I have been teaching and standing all day or when I sit (like at church or in a movie) for a long time with my feet down. The beginnings of the summer heat doesn't help at all (in fact, it's 102 today). It's not the most comfortable thing, but I could have it a whole lot worse.

We have 2 1/2 weeks left of school (which is 12 teaching days) and I'm definitely counting down. I love my little 3rd graders, but its time they move up to 4th grade and I get to stay home with the little one! It is nice that Ryan teaches because he will be able to be home during the first month or so to help with the new baby. Then it will be just me and the little guy!! Can't wait...but I think it is still a little too early to count down by the days (although it is only like 48 more days or something...)

So that is about all that is going on with us. Here are a few pictures of me pregnant to catch you up on how big I'm getting! All I have to say is that it better come off easily!!

30 weeks

31 weeks

33 weeks

Changes in the Waters Family

2009-04-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

Since it has been 6 months since I have posted anything on here, I felt like I needed to catch up. Soon after I created the blog and made the first post, we found out that I was pregnant. YAY!! We found out the beginning of February that we were having a boy! Along with this big news, there have been a few other changes as well.

First picture (8 weeks)

19 weeks

We've got a boy!

To begin, in February, we bought our first home. Because of the economy and housing market, we got a really good deal on our house. And it came at no better time; as we start our little family. We are pretty much all moved in, although with any home comes the never-ending "to do" list. We have really enjoyed getting out of the apartment atmosphere and realizing the work that goes into a house (mowing the lawn, etc.).

Our new home

Baby's Room

In March I had the opportunity to fly home to Georgia for my brother, Matthew's homecoming. Although he was serving in southern California and I live in central California, I flew across the country to see him for the first time in 2 years! It was a lot of fun having the whole family (minus Ryan) home. It was amazing to see the changes in my brother and the blessings he received from serving the Lord. I am so proud of his sacrifice and am glad that he made it back safely!

Picking Matt up from the airport

The last few weeks have been busy with teaching. We are counting down the weeks for summer vacation and the arrival of Baby Waters. I am getting bigger by the day, but have enjoyed the kicks, punches and hiccups I feel each day from him. I (and my back) hope these last 10 weeks go by quickly. Luckily I only have a a few more weeks of teaching....standing all day does not help the back.

25 weeks

27 weeks

I finally gave in

2008-10-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

So, multiple people have told me to start a blog and I would always quickly say "no". Our life is incredibly boring and I didn't think I would have anything to post. Well, I decided to give in and create one, although it probably won't be very interesting. Hopefully it will be more exciting and I will have more to post once we start our family (and who knows when that will be!). Until then, you are stuck with our boring life. So here you go, this is The Waters Family blog.