MeTCaLF MaNia

CuRiouS KaYSoN

2012-02-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

There is never a dull moment over here, and most of the credit goes to Kayson. He is just SO CURIOUS!!

Here's some of the recent "Curious Kayson" moments:

CLIMBING on the bed

CLIMBING back into the bath tub

CLIMBING under chairs...

Not sure what to even call this...

Getting into the dog food

CLIMBING on the table (gasp!)

And today, at almost 15 months exactly,

he can open ALL doors in our house

and

UNLATCH and OPEN the DISHWASHER...

Bring on more "Curious Kayson" Moments :)

January Highlights

2012-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

Daddy walking Lily to her first day in Primary (:

He loves his DaD

Every time Lily gets out of the bath and uses her princess towel she says, "I need to go find my handsome Prince." She will then go find Jared and he will carry her like the princess she is, back into her bedroom to get dressed.

Bath time silly faces...

Playing Hide N Seek..where's Kayson?!

LiL Pirate

getting into cupboards...

getting into Cheese Balls

Trying to fit through the castle door...

finding a cup of water and pouring it all over himself...

Haircut

Lily's lost Pluto turns up

Lily started dance!

Marley is born..YaY for new cousins

Playing at the Park

Hanging out

Jared went to run an errand and Lily really wanted to go. After waving goodbye to dad, I found Lily in her room getting her self ready to go. She told me she was going to go find him. At least she knew to dress warm!

Wrestling...happens almost every night around here.

Kayson, riding a scooter at 14 months, pretty Studly!

Some other things that happened this month:

Jared had Surgery #3 (kidney stone related)

Grandpa Loy passed away. He was probably my #1 blog fan, but I know he isn't missing any of these moments, he's watching them from heaven above. Bless his soul.

Stationery card

2012-01-29T15:45:00.000-08:00

XO Hearts Valentine's Card

Create custom cards for Valentines Day and Easter at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Huntington Beach

2012-01-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

Since we were in SoCal for our Disneyland trip, we decided to take an extra day and play at the beach. We LOVE Huntington, it's one of our favorites. On the way we stopped off at Now and Then second hand store (for Jared) to see the Storage Wars hot spot.
Lily LOVED playing "tag" with the waves. I can't wait for our week long beach trip we have coming up this year. She is going to have a blast!

Kayson wasn't sure how he felt about the sand. He didn't like it, but LOVED the sea gulls. So after a few minutes of standing on the beach towel, looking at the sand and then looking at the sea gulls, he decided to give into the sand. That was pretty much how he spent the rest of the afternoon..chasing sea gulls. Silly boy!

Lily and I had so much fun digging for crabs, running from the waves, collecting sea shells and digging a big hole!

Jared was all Kayson wanted when we first got there. He was scared of the sand and the water...but dad helped him overcome his fear and then followed him on his sea gull chase.

Lily...so happy to be at the beach!!!

Disneyland

2012-01-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Our season passes are due to expire soon and since Santa left us some Disney gift cards in our stockings, we decided to make a 3-day trip down to Disneyland. It was a blazing 84 degrees, but we will take that anyday...Oh how we love the sunshine!

These two are the best! (Lily insisted on wearing her "ears" backwards)

Pluto! (seems to be the kid's most current favorite)

waiting for the parade

Silly Sleeper #1

Silly Sleeper #2

Baby Kay

Lily and Daddy

NaNa & Lily

Play time!

Small World

Kayson & Papa

Lollipop

Chrismas-time!

Lily and Dallen in Tarzan's treehouse

Lily and Fawn Lily, Tinkerbell and Vidia

The Castle

We had another fantastic Disney trip! We have gone 6 times in the past 12 months, so our season passes defintely were well worth it! And yes, we already have another disney trip on the calendar!!

A SUNBEAM !!

2012-01-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

Big Day in the Metcalf Household.

Lily is now in the Sunbeam class in Primary!

She was so excited for church today. She kept reminding me that we had to hurry so we wouldn't be late b/c everyone would be waiting for her.

Here is a picture of her before church. She's ready to go, stuffed animals and all!

I'm also in Primary so I got to watch her. She was mostly watching (wide eyed) all the other wiggly kids and I think it might have intimidated her a little. She came and sat on my lap for a few minutes and then when it was time for singing time, she rang back to her seat. She loved sining "I am like a Star shining brightly" and "I am a Child of God." Next she was off to class. Oh, how we wish we could have been flies on that wall.

After church she ran up to daddy and said, "daddy we have a new baby in our class!" because the teacher teaching today had her baby girl with her. After things calmed down and we got home I asked her if she liked it and she said yes. She said that they learned about "Moses and how he was borned."

We are so proud of you and the little-big girl you are. You add so much sunshine to our lives! We love you Lily, our little SUNBEAM :)

2011 Highlights

2012-01-01T19:56:00.000-08:00

Highlights of 2011:

(in no particular order)

Living at Nana & Papa's house (Jan-April)

Metcalf Family Disneyland Trip in Feb

Jared's job offers from Clovis and Folsom PD

Jared starting work with Clovis Police Department on April 1st

Living with The Bennett's (April-July)

1 week of camping in Malibu for Spring Break

Another Disneyland trip with our dear friends, The Shirley Family

Annual 4th of July trip to Bass Lake

1 week of camping in Yosemite

Another week of camping in Malibu for The Bennett Family Reunion

Lily getting potty trained and throwing her binky in the trash

Jared getting offered a job as an Investigator with Target

Moving back to our hometown, Rocklin (in August)

Lily starting a play group

All of Kayson's 1st's (sitting at 6 months, crawling at 8 months and walking at 11 months)

Our Clovis weekend visits

4 more Disneyland trips

Lily's 3rd Birthday

Kayson's 1st Birthday

Logan & Janaye's wedding

Trick or Treating in an awesome neighborhood

Seeing Elder Bennett off on his mission to Londrina, Brazil

Sunday dinner's at Nana & Papa's

Thanksgiving and Christmas

Wrestling matches and tickle wars with Daddy

New Years Eve..Lily falling asleep at 11:57 pm!! SO CLOSE! maybe next yr.

2011 was a year of trials and great blessings. The blessings undoubtedly outweigh the trials we endured. Our hearts are full with gratitude and love for our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, family, and the Great Plan of Salvation.

We will always remember 2011 and the memories that were made.

♥ ♥ Farewell 2011 ♥ ♥

Some of the little things that make us smile

2011-12-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

Seeing Basketball on TV for the 1st time

and loving it! (He tried to climb up to the TV to see it better)

Bubble Baths!

Kayson wanting to wear Lily's backpack around the house

Hide -N- Seek

Letter from Santa

2011-12-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Metcalf Family,

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas to all of you! It is always so nice to come visit your house each year. I know this past year has brought a lot of change for each of you and I mush say how proud I am for the way you guys have stuck together.

Lily, my sweet Lily. I have watched you grow so much this year! You are turning in to such a BIG girl! I hopeyou enjoy playing with your brand new doll house that I brought for you. You have been such a good girl. You are such a good big sister to Kayson, I know he loves you very much. Your parents love you so much too...just be sure you listen to what your Mommy and Daddy tell you to do. Make sure you play nice with your brother Kayson. Keep being the nice girl I know you are and have fun with all your new toys. I will be watching you this year so keep being my Silly Lily!

Kayson, oh how much fun you are to watch. I don't know of a happier boy in all the world! You bring smiles to everyone around you :) I am sure you will get a lot of good use out of this new ball and basketball hoop! Now for you Kayson, be sure not to pull on your sister Lily's hair. Oh...and please don't climb on anything too high, it really makes your parents nervous! Kayson, you are such a good boy. Your sister Lily, your mommy and your daddy love you very much. I look forward to seeing you grow this year and hopefully see you add more than a few "grunts" to your vocabulary.

Bambi, you truly are loved by Lily, Kayson and your mommy and daddy. You are so good at cuddling with everyone! Be sure you stop barking so much and don't chew anymore toys! I got you some treats but they almost got eaten by Rudolph! Keep being the seweet, loyal Bambers.

Lindsey, oh how so very proud I am of you! You truly are the rock and founation of the family. I have been watching you really closely and know that I am aware of how much you have gone through this year. Please know that Jared loves you so very much. He only wants to be the best for you. Now, be sure not to get too frusterated with him, but I do know how hard he can be to deal with. Oh, and one more thing, your reallyl ought to go "five for five" more often, that really would be nice of you. Keep up your hardwork and know that your family loves you with all of their hearts.

Jared, well what can I say? I am glad you finally made up your mind with a job. Try not to be grumpy and don't lay around so much! Your family adores and loves you so be sure to make them happy. I know you try very hard to do the right thing so keep it up, I will be watching!

Well Merry Christmas, Metcalf Family! Enjoy all your presents and thank you for the treats! I loved the cookies and Rudolph and all of the reindeer loved the carrots and water. Oh and sorry bu I think Rudolph went poo-poo on your roof.

Love,
Santa Clause

PS Those Disney cards are for a Disneyland trip you will go on next week, enjoy!!

A MERRY little Metcalf CHRISTMAS

2011-12-28T11:01:00.001-08:00

We had the Merriest Christmas yet!

The kids are at such exciting ages which made Christmas quite MAGICAL.

We filled our December with traditions; both old and new.

Our Christmas Eve was spent decorating Sugar Cookies at Nana and Papa's house. We read the story of Jesus Christ's birth from both the Book of Mormon and The Bible. We watched a few movies about our Savior's birth (Joy to the World and The Nativity.) Then it was time for bed. We picked out some cookies to leave for Santa. We left some carrots and water (Lily insisted the reindeer would be thirsty) for the reindeer.

Lily had fun "taste testing" the water for the reindeer.

Then the hardest part...falling asleep!! Kayson of course had no problem, but Lily was too excited. Every little noise heard was follwed by daddy checking to see if it was Santa.Once the children were nestled in their beds (or mommy and daddy's bed),

Santa did indeed comehe left us the nicest letter too! He sure knows the Metcalf Family well ;)Christmas Morning came and the kids were off to check out their presentsSanta brought Kayson a basketball hoop! It's Kayson's favorite! Every basket he scores is followed by lots of cheers and claps for himself. Pretty stinkin' cute.Lily was so happy that Santa filled our stockings. Along with the See's Candy and Princess body wash, Santa brought Lily a Nala stuffed animal. (Kayson got Simba).

Nala has not left Lily's side.

Opening presents...Princess dolls! (to go with her castle that Santa brought her!)Santa surprised Jared and I with a 32" TV for our bedroom!

Jared got a nice and comfy robe too!

I was the most surprised of all though. Jared melted my heart with a DVD he made for me. It is so sweet and thoughtful. I will cherish it forever.

As if one homemade gift isn't enough, My dad made me a beautiful shelf! I have been searching for the perfect shelf for my mud room and he made a custom one for me! I felt so blessed and loved. Another gift I will have forever.

Santa also stuffed our stockings with some Disney gift cards. So we will be starting off the New Year right...Disneyland here we come :):)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2011-12-28T10:48:00.000-08:00

♥ ♥ ♥

SO in love with DaDDY

Lily had to wear my shoe's after date night

play date at the mall

making brownies :)Toddler Christmas PartyToddler Christmas PartyToddler Christmas PartyPictures with SantaPictures with SantaOne day during Kayson's morning Nap, I discovered this..Found her sleeping like this (she put the tutu on sometime between us tucking her in bed and falling asleep in the middle of her room)FEARLESS boy..such a cutieGingerbread houseSo sweet (literally)Grandma and Grandpa (nevermind gpa's black eye...church basketball can get crazy)Busy Boy

Elder Bennett

2011-11-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

He's outta here. For 2 WHOLE years. Off to Londrina, Brazil to teach and preach and work as missionaries do.

We love Uncle Parker and will miss him greatly. Good thing he has an adorable neice and nephew to send him lots of colorful pictures.

God's Speed Elder!

Baby KaY

2011-11-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

Our Handsome little guy got some photo action too! (Thanks again BFF) He is 19 lbs & 13 ounces of pure happiness!

Kayson has such a sweet spirit about him. When Jared gave him his baby blessing, he blessed Kayson that he might be Sensitive. He has a sensitive heart. One I am so thankful to see glimpses of everyday.

He is 100% BOY. He is SO so SO busy. He makes more messes than I thought possible for a toddler and FASTER than I could have ever imagined. He is just a curious kayson. He keeps me very busy...it's one of my favorite things about him!

He is a stud. I have no doubt that someday he will be doing GREAT things. He already is. There is no toilet lid too heavy for him to open and fill with toilet paper. No slide too tall that he won't climb. No song he won't nod his head to. No smile he won't return. No wrestling match he won't win. No object too obscure for him to put in his mouth, and no moment in time that he doesn't take advantage of.

Love you more than words could ever say. Thanks for filling our lives with so much!

Little Miss Lily

2011-11-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

Lily turned 3 in October. My BFF, who is so talented (and 5 months pregnant with TWIN BOYS) took Lily's "THREE" year old pictures.

Lily is such a sweet girl! She has a big personality that can demand a lot of attention at times, but other times she surprises us with her tender nature. It's the PERFECT mix of entertainment and sweetness.

She is a girly - girl. She LOVES baby dolls, anything princess, dancing, fingerpainting, singing, play dough, chocolate milkshakes, the park and her playgroup play dates.

She has recently surprised us with her B I G imagination. Any object can be a baby in need of some "mothering," her stroller is her pirate ship, her brother a monster, and she even has an ~~IMAGINARY~~ friend named Tema.

We sure love you Lily Bug! Thank you for all the sweet and sassiness you bring to our family!

Birthday Boy!

2011-11-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

Kayson turned 1 today!

It sure tugged my heart strings thinking about how FAST this past year has flown by.

Kayson is such a BUSY B O Y and we LOVE it.

I've said it from the day he was born, He has my heart.

I don't know of many people on this earth whom I would wake up multiple times in the night (STILL) for and be excited to start my day with at 6:30AM. Must be the way he snuggles his cute little face into my shoulder and pats my back the second I pick him up out of his crib.

Daddy is crazy about him too. Must be the way Kayson greets him each day when he gets home from work...a BIG smile, a wobbly strut, his little pointer finger pointing as he says "da-da" and a much anticipated "wrestling" match.

Lily is head over heels for her brother as well. Must be the way he splashes her in the bathtub, is a 24/7 playmate and "monster" to chase her when needed. He thinks the world of his sister. I love watching Kayson's face as he watches Lily play...His eyes light up and he gets the biggest smile on that cute face of his.

Yeah, so we are all pretty crazy about the little boy who has blessed our family for one year's time.

Happy Birthday Happy Boy!

He woke up to some decorations, presents and balloons!
Can you guess which he liked most?

Lily was so excited for Kayson to fall asleep last night so we could decorate and "SURPRISE" Kayson for his Birthday when he woke up. She was so sweet about it. If you know Lily, you know she LOVES Birthdays :) First thing I saw when I woke up this morning was Lily running down the hall out of Kayson's room. She ran in and told me Kayson was awake and asked me if she could go tell Kayson Happy Birthday. Such a sweetheart.

Our Happy Boy

Not sure what to do with the presents...good thing big sister was right there to "help"

Presents: Elefun Ball Popper, a Pirate Ship, Cars 2, a sweat suit, some big boy sippy cups (bye bye bottle!), a Pirate plate, silverware and bowl.

He liked us singing Happy Birthday to him...

...But he LOVED his cake!

LOVED his cake

The Party crew

getting crazy...

....crazy messy!!!

So proud of my boy...one big chocolate mess :)

Happy Birthday baby-Kay ♥ ♥ You will ALWAYS be my sweet baby Kay.

**Confession: My eyes just might be sweating as I think of my sweet boy turning one. Time, please SLOW DOWN. **

Halloween-ness

2011-11-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

We had awesome Halloween!

Lily and Daddy went on a date, to Disney on Ice:

She loves her dad, can't you tell?

Pumpkin Carving--Lily HAD to have 3 pumpkins

(everything is "3" these days...3 minutes, 3 more bites, 3 years old, etc)

Kayson wasn't sure about the pumpkins

Lily loved pulling out the pumpkin "guts"

and I loved hanging out with my little munchkins

Lily's best friend, Taite came over to play on Halloween afternoon

The girls had fun decorating the door behind them with fun window clings

and made some silly faces

can't wait to show them when they're 16

Then trick or treating began!

Lily was Belle. She looked so pretty!

and Kayson is was our little monkey

Jared was feeling a little festive, so he pulled out the Jack Sparrow wig.

We trick-or-treated into some friends

again, can't wait to show them when they're 16

and Nana and Papa made a visit

We trick or treated until Lily's got tired, but the fun didn't stop there...

We came home, sat on our porch, turned on some Halloween music (like I said, Jared was feeling it), and handed out candy to trick or treaters.

Then we went inside and dumped out the ~~goods~~ candy!

They each picked out a piece ~~or two~~ to eat

Then we watched Shrek's Halloween episode and called it a night. Here's our pumpkins... Jared and I have been watching the food network's Halloween Wars, which includes pumpkin carving. We got bit by the carving bug...we might have used an electric bread knife for some of the cutting. Just saying.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Now bring on Thanksgiving and Christmas :) :)

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Fall would not be complete without a trip to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm!

Lily would not go near the goats and Kayson was very unsure about all the livestock.

Hay Jump

Playing on the train

Kayson's 1st Bishop's Farm trip :)

Slide

Train Ride

Jail House

Pumpkins!

Lily's photo choice: (we were sitting on a bench eating ice cream when Lily pointed to the bus and said, "Mom, should we go stick our heads in there and take a picture?!"

The fam

Now that we have made our trip to Bishop's and the Halloween decorations have been up in our house...we can officially

WELCOME FALL :)

THREE !!!

2011-10-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Lily woke up to lots of presents the morning of her Birthday. She got a Minnie Mouse scooter, princess helmet, princess knee/elbow pads, The Lion King movie and a Disneyland play castle.

She got donuts for breakfast...

Got Minnie Mouse pancakes for lunch

And even got to help make her cake!

We took her to Chuckie Cheese for the 1st time that night for her Birthday.

Papa helped her play games

and Daddy won her lots of tickets!

Nana and Papa got her an adorable outfit and a Tangled doll. It hasn't left her side since.

She was so excited when we sang to her.

and so funny about her scooter. She rides it everywhere. I love finding it in random places throughout the house.

Then this past weekend, we lucked out with beautiful weather for Lily's Minnie Mouse Birthday Party.

Cousin Dallen pushed her in the swing

and chowed down with her.

Friends came to help celebrate

and family too.

Daddy and Lily

The Birthday Girl
(is she really 3?! I'm not sure how I feel about this whole growing up thing)

Brother

Friends

Pin the Bow on Minnie

The Pinata

Cupcakes

SO yummy

High-Five to Ryder

Kayson & Papa

Our happy family

The Birthday Celebrations are officially over in this house. Well...for at least another 3 weeks...then Kayson get's a turn in the spotlight.

Has it really been ONE whole year since my sweet boy came into this world?!

September Highlights

2011-10-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Still find it hard to believe September has come and gone.

Here are some September Highlights:

Lily's 1st Roller Coaster ride.

SNUGGLING with my sweet boy

Kayson's laugh

and his new "ohh face"

Our week spent in Clovis. Lily working out with Uncle Parker

Finding Lily reading to her toys

Baking Brownies for ~~Lily~~ Daddy

Playing Peek-a-Boo

Logan & Janaye's wedding

Silly faces

First steps

Disneyland

Daddy♥Daughter Date to Lion King and the Park

Kisses to brother

Wrestling Daddy

Matching PJ's--ready for Fall!

Messy Boy

Helping Mommy

More baking

Logan's Wedding

2011-10-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am so happy for my oldest brother! He got married this past weekend and it was beautiful! Both him and his beautiful bride have overcome so much in their lives. I am so proud of them and happy for their new life together as MR and MRS ♥ ♥

Logan & Janaye

So in Love

Flower Girls

The Ring Bearer (Logan's Son)

The Wedding Party (5 sisters, 5 brothers and 2 in laws and 2 friends)

Logan and his adorable son

family

The Bennett Family

my brothers

father/daughter dance (love them)

mother/son dance (love my boy)

The Metcalf family

Our 2nd Home...

2011-10-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

...or so we like to think so.

"We are going to Disneyland"

Dumbo

King Arthur's Carousel

Tangled!

Some of our friends:

Lily's 1st Roller-coaster Ride

Can't wait until next time!

Happy Birthday Lily

2011-10-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

I love to see the temple, I'm going there Someday

2011-09-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

The latest and greatest

2011-09-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a few of the latest and greatest moments happening with Metcalf Mania

(courtesy{and convenience} of iphone)

water park:

this boy can't sit still:

bathtime:

daddy-daughter date: Park and Lion King:

Ice Cream:

messy boy:

the kiddos:

teethers:

water park:

having fun:

Lily's new trick, cross eyed!:

getting so big:

at the park, our second home:

Lily made a brdige from the "hot lava":

where's Kayson??:

getting brave:

Sunday walks:

silly boy:

swimming at nana and papa's:

swimming with daddy:

so precious:

Lily "working":

messy boy:

so quick..he pulled the toilet paper off the roll and dropped a toy in the toilet, all in 1 minute:

Rock Star Kayson:

Rockstar Lily:

so sweet:

water park:

we heart mickey mouse:

story time:

The Kiddos

2011-09-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

We went to a SUPER CUTE and FUN Birthday Party this past weekend. The kids had a blast! It's kind of nice when you're BFF is a photographer, then she will take awesome pics of your kids when you least expect it. Here are some of her pics..check her out at here, she will not disappoint :)

6 Years

2011-08-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 6 year anniversary a little late...all for good reasons (busy moving, new job, settling back in Rocklin)

We left the kids overnight with Aunt Jennie and headed to Lake Tahoe for the day. It was so nice and relaxing. The drive there is beautiful and we couldn't believe we were able to talk for 45 minutes straight with ZERO interruptions....ahh, priceless. We sun bathed, window shopped and then went on a paddleboarding adventure. We had a blast. We definately dream of owning our own paddleboards in the near future and paddle boarding down the lake with Lily, Kayson and Bambi riding on the front.

I'm so thankful that I took a leap of faith and got engaged to Jared after only know him for 13 days and married him 2 1/2 months later. Jared is my sweetheart and together, we are finding joy in our journey to forever :)

I have been Blessed

2011-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I find myself singing the lyrics to Martina McBride lately:

I get kissed by the sun

Each morning

Put my feet on a hardwood floor

I get to hear my children laughing

Down the hall through the

Bedroom door

Sometimes I sit on my

Front porch swing

Just soaking up the day

I think to myself, I think to myself

This world is a beautiful place

I have been blessed

And I feel like I’ve found my way

I thank God for all I’ve been given

At the end of every day

I have been blessed

With so much more than I deserve

To be here with the ones

That love me

To love them so much it hurts

I have been blessed

Across a crowded room,

I know you know what I’m thinking

By the way I look at you

And when we’re lying in the quiet and

No words have to be said

I think to myself, I think to myself

This love is a beautiful gift

When I’m singing my kids to sleep

When I feel you holding me

I know

I have been blessed.

I know that blessings come usually after much triall and I am so thankful to be out of our most recent ones. I know that there is a very loving Father in Heaven who teaches and blesses us- each in a very unique way. I am grateful for his GRACE that carried me through the past 10 months of hardship and confusion. Living out of a suitcase and letting go of our dream job humbled and taught me so much.

“You can complain because roses have thorns or you can rejoice in the thought that thorns have roses.”

Y O S E M I T E

2011-08-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yosemite is one of those places that you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. It is GORGEOUS there. Lily had a blast playing with cousins, Kayson got dirty, Jared enjoyed game nights and I loved the hikes.

*I am aware of the picture overload, we took tons....how could you now in a place like that?

Some of the highlights of the trip:

Hiking lower yosemite falls x2. Lots of smores and laughter by the campfire.FAMILY.The nature center.Pirates/Liars Dice game.CLIMBING ROCKS.Hiking Vernal Falls.Picnic at the bottom of Vernal Falls.Car ride home --Lily, Dallen, Maddy, Emily and Andrew throwing up!PIZZA. Golf Toss. Village store. Walking sticks. Taco Salad. Throwing rocks in the river. TOOTSIE POPS. Waterfalls. Napping. Not getting eaten by bears. Ice Cream. GORGEOUS VIEWS. Relaxing by the river. Housekeeping. Flashlight tag. Cousins. EXPLORING.

Malibu- Bennett Family Reunion

2011-07-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

Every 2 years the Bennett's try to get together for a reunion. This year the numbers were smaller than usual, but we still had a blast. We sure missed all the family that wasn't able to come.

Kayson and Grandma Great:

Some of the crew:

Uncle Parker (soon to be Elder Bennett):

Lily Bug (is it just me, or is her hair getting long?!):

Kayson (check out the new teethers):

Playing football with daddy:

Playing by the water:

Wipe out !!! :

Baby Kay

Love him:

FHE:

Lily's mermaid tail:

Daddy's Girl:

Playing in the water:

Kayson's shirt = 100% true :

Lily:

Postcard anyone? :

Lily insisted on feeding her brother:

Tackling Grandpa for a Fruit Roll up
(these kids know what's worth fighting for):

Laurie, Fred, Grandma Bennett, Perry

Me with my Grandma (it was SO fun spending time with her, I love her. When I was little, I looked up the her for her delicious sugar cookies and always having smarties in her purse. Now I look up to her for her faith, testimony and great family she has raised...and maybe the fact that she still carries smarties on her.)

One more shoutout to my Jare Bear. He is such an amazing father. We are crazy about him. Can't wait to celebrate 6 years of marriage next month!

Watch out World...Kayson's crawling!

2011-07-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

7/1/11 - At 7.9 months, Kayson started crawling!

He can also do some pretty awesome push-ups..

We love our happy boy!

Bass Lake

2011-07-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

Last week was spent at our home away from home...Bass Lake. My family has been renting the same lakefront cabin for over 10 years now. Same week every year- 4th of July week. It is always something we look forward to.

4th of July:

Tubing:

Fun Times:

Family:

Memories:

Happy Times:

Ahh, Bass Lake.

You. are. so. good. to. us.

Until next year.

SUMMER SUNSHINE

2011-06-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Most of our summer days have been spent in the pool,

running through the sprinklers

Smiling,

snacking,

more swimming,

hanging out with family,

napping,

road tripping (and potty breaking),

hanging out with friends,

and being silly.

Our most recent summer adventure was sleeping on the trampoline.

We live for summer time. It's the best.

Next up on our Summer adventures:

-Bass Lake, Malibu, Yosemite and maybe even Disneyland-

Assistant to the wedding planner

2011-06-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

My mom and I put on a wedding last night. She's done a handful of weddings and since I live in Clovis now, I get to be her assistant! It was so much fun! I love the Kirkman family dearly. All of the Kirkman girls have a special place in my heart and it was so fun to see Melissa get married and catch up with Steph and Kristen.

Here's some pictures of what we did:

Entrance:

Gifts table

Wedding:

After the ceramony, we took the kissing balls and used them for the centerpieces.

Food Tables:

Dance floor:

Stephanie:

Kristin:

Me, Steph and Melanie

The adorable bride and groom!

My mom and I had so much fun planning and making all the decorations. I hope we get to do another one soon!

First time for everything

2011-06-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a memorable week full of good things and 1st for us.

Kayson cut his 1st tooth.

Lily ran through the sprinklers for the 1st time.

Lily threw her binky in the trash.
(No picture of this grand event. Mommy didn't want to push it, she was already asking A LOT from Lily)

Kayson swang in the park swing for the 1st time.

Lily is potty trained.
(no picture, keeping it G rated)

Kayson went swimming for the 1st time.
(no pic, too busy splashing)

Life is so exciting and rewarding when you get to experience things like we did this week.

another Disney trip

2011-05-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

Happy Birthdays

2011-05-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

May is a month full of Birthdays in our family.

This week was mine and Jared's turn.

Red Robin

Lily was so excited about sharing

a freckled lemonade with daddy:

...and Kayson was all smiles...no surprise there.

Jared turned 28! (may 16th)

And I turned 25! (may 17th)

I caught Lily being sneaky

Best part of my day was Lily singing happy birthday to me 10+ times and her helping me blow out my candles.

Photography Giveway

2011-05-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

My amazingly talented best friend is giving away a FREE photography session.

She took Kayson's baby pictures and I'm dying to get up to Sacramento so she can take some family pictures of us.

Check her out and enter the giveway:

http://peasandpodsphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/its-time-for-giveaway.html

Lily's sweet tooth

2011-05-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

Lily has a sweet tooth. It's the inevitable. Jared and I both love our sweets, so all of our kids are bound to be lovers of sugar.

Recently, Lily has been getting "cravings." She figures out a way to get what she wants, she's so good, 1/2 the time I feel like baking was my idea.

Most recent example:

One morning Lily comes to me and says (in an excited voice) "Mommy, daddy wants me to make him some brownies...and Mommy, I will have one too" Daddy is not even home, so I know SHE really wants the brownies. I can't help but comply as she runs into her room, grabs her minnie mouse apron/hat and pulls a chair over to the counter.

The only downside is that I have to share licking the bowl with someone, but when I see that face, I wouldn't even say that's a downside :)

Kayson- 6 Months Old

2011-05-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Baby Kay

6 MONTHS OLD

He is 15 lbs of pure happiness (10%)

and has grown to be 2' 3" tall (65%)

with a H.C. of 44.5 cm (whatever that means!)

Newest Excitements:

Sitting up

Drinking from a sippy cup

putting his feet in his mouth (literally)

Giving Kisses

Baby Food & Table food

Peek-a-Boo

Working on:

Teeth

Crawling

Holding his bottle

Sleeping through the night

2011-05-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

Officer Metcalf has patroling the streets for 1 1/2 months now

and just worte his 1st Traffic Accident Report...

ON HIS OWN CAR!

Jared wasn't at fault (thank goodness!). He was sitting in his patrol car at a 4 way stop waiting to catch some crooks speeding, talking on the phone and texting while driving

(PS-The ticket for that is now $1100, DON'T TEXT while DRIVING)

when some guy came too close and clipped the side of the car.

Damage Done? Just a rear view mirror torn off.

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

My Mother's Day was perfect. How could it not be with these two?

I am so thankful to be a Mother.

I haven't come close, (nor will I ever) to perfecting Motherhood, but that is one of the reasons it is so special to me.

I am so very thankful to my loving Father in Heaven who has blessed me with this divine role, not only has it been the greatest source of Joy in my life, but it has helped me to better understand the love that he has for me as a Child of God.

I am so thankful to my Mother and Mother in Law, they hold such a special place in my heart. They have taught me so much through word, but most of all through example.

Happy Mother's Day to all :)

Welcome Officer Metcalf

2011-05-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

Jared was officially sworn in on April 25, 2010. Lily and I got to pin his badge on him. Thank you to all the family that came to show your support, it means SO MUCH to us.

We are so impressed with Clovis PD. They are really like one big family and we have been welcomed with open arms.

Easter

2011-04-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

Our Easter was spend in Clovis @ Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Lily had fun dying eggs,

she's a pro

The kids were so excited to wake up and see that the Easter Bunny filled their baskets with goodies.

Kayson got a new truck

Lily was thrilled that the Easter Bunny brought her a tinkerbell toy. (She had been telling mommy and daddy how the Easter bunny was going to bring her a tinkerbell for weeks.)

Here they are dressed in their Sunday best:

The Egg Hunt

Jared and I got to participate (for the first time) in the adult egg hunt my family has. All eggs are filled with money...YEP, I said ALL eggs. Parker found the Golden egg wtih $25 in it, but we still made out pretty nice...Jared scored $24 and I pocketed $36. Pretty sweet!

Happy Easter!

Life is BETTER barefoot...in Malibu

2011-04-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

We packed up and headed to Malibu for our annual Spring Break trip. We had such a great time! Jared only got to stay for the weekend, but the kids and I stayed for ONE WHOLE WEEK. It was a blast. We are already counting down the days until we get to go back in July.

Lily wasn't sure how she felt about camping at first. She insisted on staying in the dirt-and-bug free car for the first hour we were there. She's such a girl! haha

Lily loved running from the waves with daddy...

while mommy snuggled with Kayson.

She also had fun spending time with her cousin, Brayden. They have so much fun together.

We (of course) had some good naps in the tent,

and on the beach.

Lily kept Grandpa busy digging,

walking,

playing,

and snacking.

While Kayson kept Grandma busy with kisses,

Giggles,

and smiles.

We explored the tide pools,

roasted marshmallows,

found some caves,

built sand castles,

found more caves,

sat by the campfire,

saw a commercial be filmed,

Climbed rocks,

and played with friends.

But most important of all, we spent quality time together as a family.

...and created memories that we will cherish forever.

....and I got to capture some shots of the faces that I love <3

I'm thankful for all the beauty found on this Earth. We enjoyed so much of it at Malibu. Here is some pictures of the creatures big and small we got to enjoy:

Early Easter

2011-04-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Easter with the Metcalf side of our family last weekend. It was so much fun! Aunt Jennie and Uncle Dwayne's house is the best! There is so much to do there. Here's only a FEW of the 130 pictures I took (I was without a camera for one month and was trying to make up for it!)

Uncle Dwayne and Baby Kay

Lily and Dallen

Daddy and Kayson (watching the Masters Tournament)

Aunt Jennie and Kayson

Dying Easter Eggs

Mommy teaching Lily some dying skills

Papa & Nana

Easter Egg dying party!

Brady and Claire (Claire's 1ST TIME EVER DYING EGGS, crazy!)

Sneaking in some kisses

Maddy and Kayson (she's such a good cousin!)

Brianna and Kayson-- The newest Metcalfs (1 month apart)

--Nana & Kayson--

Egg Hunt

SO EXCITED

The egg hunters: Jr, Dallen, Lily, Nikki and Maddy

Hanging out

Spinning contest

Little Man

and our happy family

Officer Metcalf

2011-03-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Watch out CLOVIS, CA....

There's a new ranger in town!!

OFFICER METCALF reports for duty April 1st.

We are so excited for this adventure.

Guess I better add this to Lily's wardrobe...

We heart Disneyland

2011-03-01T21:28:00.000-08:00

.Seriously.

Disneyland is where the happiest memories are made.

We ventured down to SOCAL to enjoy a beautiful day at Huntington Beach and then were off to spend 3 fun filled days in Disneyland. Not before Kayson gave us the scare of our lives by getting CROUP. That's scarey stuff. But spending the whole night in the ER didn't stop us (come on, we're Metcalf's!)...we were there at 8am counting down with the rest of our extended family as Disneyland opened for the day. Big shout out to Kayson, he's such a trooper!

Here's some pic's to document our trip:

our little beach bum...

The Family

a day at the beach...
Starfish... Baby Kay...(1st beach trip, before Croup attack)

Toes...

Walk with Daddy...

Disneyland...The WHOLE group...

Dumbo (Lily's favorite ride)...

Princess Lily with her Prince Charming...

Cutest Little guy ever...

Best Ice Cream ever (tradition)...

Horsey...

Cousins...

Autopia with our crazy little driver...

Takin' a break on mainstreet...Ahh, what we would give to be back there right now! We have the DISNEY BLUES over here.

Thanks Walt, for dreaming a dream so magical!

Good, FREE fun

2011-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

One word: Library

That's right. We went oldskool and got a library card!

Forgot how much fun it can be.

It brought back memories for me; going to the library to check out books for a school project, story time at the school library, writing my name in the card tucked away in the inside of the book, the feeling of responsibility I felt when I would check out a book, etc.

Here's Lily's pickins'

Some good reading right here:

It's a little weird that I have a kid old enough to have their own card, but I love it.

Lily loves it too. I have a feeling a trip to the library is going to be a weekly occurance for us!

Oh, and in other news; this little guy is 3 months old! Still the happiest, most easy-going baby ever!

I've got the cutest kids:

EVER!

Park Days

2011-01-28T22:46:00.000-08:00

Gotta love this SUNSHINE state. The weather was beautiful this week! We went to the park 4 out of 5 days this week. We tried a new park each day and Lily loved it!

Here's some shots of one of our Park Adventures:

Silly Lily

2011-01-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

Lily's prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father;

Thank you for Disneyland. Amen

We are SO proud.

2 months old

2011-01-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

That's right...he's already 2 months old.

It goes by so quickly. He is still the best baby a mother could hope for. His eyes light up with every smile and he blesses us with ooo's and coo's all day long.

Here's some of his stats from his Dr's visit:

8lbs 6 oz (1%) -gotta get some meat on them bones!

22 inches long (16%)

Head Circumference 15 1/2 inches (34%)

Love ya little guy!

Christmas

2011-01-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. Lily is at such a fun age, Jared could hardly sleep Christmas Eve because he was so excited for her to experience the magic of Christmas morning. She had a blast and was most excited about her tea party set Santa brought her.

One of our tradtions involves decorating sugar cookies with Nana and Papa on Christmas eve.

We didn't get many pictures of Christmas morning (regretfully). We were more into video taping it all, so I guess it's an even trade.

Like I said, her favorite present was her tea party set. Good thing she's so cute...she seems to be able to talk anyone and everyone into having a tea party with her multiple times per day.

Our New Years was low key. We spent it playing games with family...just the way we like it.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year!

Disneyland in December

2010-12-15T22:52:00.000-08:00

We ventured out on our first big outing as a family of four.

Disneyland was the destination, no better place right!?

We fit right in with our double stroller and baby bjourn. The kids did great! Kayson slept most of the adventure and Lily's favorite was meeting Minnie Mouse.

Here's a few shots to document the trip:

Dr. Lily

2010-12-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

This is one of the perks of being a big sister:

I'm sure Kayson has more coming his way...like dress up, tea parties and homework assignments!

I love my kids :)

Kayson's Blessing

2010-12-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

December 5th, 2010

4 weeks old

2010-12-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

Time is still flying by (the Holiday's don't help) and our little Kayson is 4 weeks old today.

He is still such a mellow little guy. He loves to snuggle and has even squeezed in some legitimate smiles at us the past few days.

My BFF Courtney is getting in to photography and was kind enough to have some sessions with Kayson. (Check her out at http://peasandpodsphotography.blogspot.com/)

Here's a few of my cute little offspring:

Big Sister had to get in a few..she's just too cute not to!

One Week Old

2010-11-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe our sweet Kayson entered this world one week ago. He is such a sweetheart and cuddle bug. It's hard to explain, but I'm SO in love. This little guy has my heart (I think only mother's of boys understand).

Lily is the best big sister ever! We didn't expect anything less, but she is just as in love with him as we are.

We are nowhere near being "done" having kids, but our family is starting to feel more complete. Our 4Runner is filling fast and we were seriously discussing the perks of buying a mini van, weird!

Kayson has had plenty of visistors:

Cousin Dallen

Grandma Bennett

Cousin Maddy

Cousin Shaylyn

Aunt Jennie

Nana

And has even soaked up some UV rays in his first week of life. He was jaundice, but we were fortunate enough to take him home (unlike Lily) and give him photo therapy treatment there. He looked like a little glow-worm!

Here's to one amazing week with our sweethearts...Lily and Kayson

We sure lucked out with these two!

Kayson Reed Metcalf

2010-11-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Kayson Reed Metcalf

Born Novemeber 3, 2010

at 1:46 am

weighing 7lbs, 3 oz

and 20 inches long.

Everyone is happy and healthy.

We feel so blessed.

We are in LOVE.