Category Archives: Caiden

Schnepf Farms

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Such a fun place. We went to the pumpkin festival a few years ago, but the kids (Caiden mostly) were too little and it didn’t seem like we got our moneys worth. This year was a totally different story, they have added a lot to the farm since the last time we were there and the kids were big enough to ride all of the rides. We had a blast for the four and half hours we were there and we could have been there longer, but it was 10:30 pm and the kids were ready to crash!

The hayride was my favorite. We got to see the baby deer and the kids fed them peach leaves off the nearby trees, so cool! I had never fed a deer before have you?

The kids and Pete loved the roller coaster. It was a slow night so they would get off and get right back on, I lost count of how many times they rode.

I LOVE that they can ride some rides together now and we dont have to ride with them! I was never a fan of the up, down, round, and round rides.=)

Caiden even rode this one alone. He was the only kid who could figure out how to make the airplane “fly high”.

Waiting for the pig races. Look at those grins, Think those two are related?

Of course we had to ride the 100 year old carousel.

And pick some pumpkins from the Patch.

Goldie

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A few weeks ago I took the kids to meet Goddess’ new horse Goldie. She is a Belgium Draft horse, she is beautiful, and HUGE! The kids both just loved being around all of the horses, and helping to brush, feed and walk them. Kayli wanted to get up on Goldie just to sit on her, but we figured out that she is just too big to even get Kayli up there. I think we need a pony and riding lessons for this girl, she keeps  telling me she wants to be the Queen Creek Rodeo Princess.

Kayli watching one of the colts

They had a blast in the mud puddle too. Kayli was pretty hesitant on getting dirty, but finally decided to go for it. She stood next to the puddle, took a deep breath and a big jump. Little did she know that her boots  would sink in, get stuck and she would end up on her bum in the cool muddy water. It was hilarious.

I love watching my kids run and play and have fun, even when it means driving home with 2 kiddos in their underwear! =)

Caiden Turns 3

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I cannot believe that our “baby brother” is 3 years old! Where does the time go? Caiden was really sick on his birthday so sadly we didn’t do a thing to actually celebrate it for a week. He didn’t want it to be his birthday, anytime anyone called or mentioned it was his birthday he got mad and told them it wasn’t his birthday. It was pretty sad, but I guess he just wasn’t in the mood to turn 3! He didn’t even have any interest in opening the presents that came for him that day.

A week later when he was feeling much better we had a combined family party with his cousin Kayla who turned 8. Everyone had a lot of fun. This year I decided to make Caiden a themed cake which I had not done for him before because I worried he would be the kid that freaks out when you cut up his cake and eat it. He was pretty apprehensive about eating Rocket (from The Little Einsteins) at first, but all day we talked about how it was a cake and not a toy and that it would be yummy and he ended up digging right in with his fork once the candles were out.

The cake Aftermath

We did have one little mishap with the candle I bought. For some strange reason as soon as I put it on top of the cake Caiden stood up in his chair leaned over the cake and took a big bite out of the candle. I had no idea that is what he was doing, but we all got a good laugh out of it. He wasnt too pleased with the waxy taste, but he survived.

Caiden is such a sweet little guy and we feel blessed to have him in our family. He loves to give kisses and hugs and will talk to anyone and everyone. He is one of those kids that would go home with anyone, which totally makes me nervous and I watch him like a hawk no matter where we are. He loves to go to church and see his teacher and his friends in nursery. He gets along really well with other kids and is usually the peacemaker, he will give up whatever toy the other kids want. He still loves to sleep in Kayli’s bed at night and I often find them cuddled up together, he is such a cuddler. He has no fear when it comes to climbing, playing and even swimming. He is a brave little guy and rarely cries when he falls down or gets hurt, he asks for a quick kiss and then says “All better, thanks Mom.” He is such a talker, especially when he is tired, he will talk your ear off trying to keep himself awake. He is growing up way too fast! We love you Caiden!

Gateway Discovery Museum

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While we were in Utah for the Madsen Family Reunion we spent a day in Salt Lake at the Discovery Museum. The kids have never really been to a museum like this and boy did they LOVE it. There was so much to do and we could have spent an entire day there without them getting bored. They had a blast with their cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

The ball area was so much fun, Caiden’s  favorite part was the tubes that sucked the balls up and then you could watch the balls travel to the pit where they dropped down for more fun. It was hard to get him pass the balls (its right up front) and into the museum to see other things. We got stuck at the balls on our way out too.

Kayli and Logan were such buddies

Cant go wrong with water and kids

The Mini Market was a HIT! WE had to wait for like 20 minutes for a shopping cart and apron because all of the kids love this little area.

Climbing and Building

Out on the roof was a helicopter that the kids loved

So much fun! I hear our “hands on” museum here in AZ isn’t great, but we may just have to check it out and see for ourselves!

This Is The Place

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This place is so much more than a monument. When I went to the U I lived just minutes from it for years and never once went and checked it out. There is actually a lot to do there. We spent the afternoon there and the kids had a lot of fun. They loved riding the horses, riding the train around the park, playing on the ship, panning for gold, and riding the small train around the lake. The view of the Valley from way up there was breathtaking. I couldn’t help but think of what the Pioneers must have felt as they looked out over the beautiful land.

4th of July Parade

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While we were in Utah I ran my first 5K at the Provo Freedom Festival. I couldn’t convince anyone to run it with me unfortunately, but we ran along the parade route where thousands of people had camped out over night and thousands more were setting up their spot for the parade. Pete, Gramdma Madsen, and the kids dropped me off at registration and then went to find a spot on the parade route while I went to run my race. They were hoping to see me run by, but they were just a few blocks north of where my race headed south so they missed me. There were plenty of other people cheering the runners on though and it was a good time. I am used to running on pretty flat, low sea level land, so the hills and the altitude affected me a bit, but I finished the race and swore Id never do another one. We will see! =)

After my race I met up with the kids, Grandma, and Pete on the parade route and we sat and watched the parade. I think it was the first time the kids have been to a parade, and they both enjoyed it.

“Awesome Mom”

Yup, those are the LDS Missionaries. I kept saying “Only in Provo”.

4th of July Fun

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We were in Utah for the 4th of July and got to see so many fireworks. On the 2nd we went with all of the Madsens to the lawn just below the Provo temple to watch the fireworks from the “Stadium of Fire” annual event at the BYU stadium. We spent a few hours eating pizza, licorice, and ice cream, playing games, running around with the kids and hanging out and chatting with the family. It was a nice relaxing evening that ended with a great fireworks show. The kids had so much fun running around in the cooler weather playing with all of their cousins. They dont get to see each other very often so it was fun to watch them run around and play together.

We all had a lot of fun holding Ryan, he is such a cute boy

Im not sure how much of the fireworks Caiden actually watched, every time I looked over he was glow stick sword fighting with Spencer and Leanne,

Im still trying to erase the memory of the drive out of Provo and back to Jeff and Beth’s in Pleasant Grove. It was a MESS!! Let’s just say I could have walked faster. But Im sure if we are ever in town for the holiday again we will find ourselves back on the lawn watching those fireworks. We will just stay and hang out for a while afterwards inside of rushing to the car to “beat the traffic” which we learned was impossible to do.

Utah Fun

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We headed to Utah in July for a week of cooler weather and fun at the Madsen Family Reunion. It was so much fun to have all of Pete’s siblings and parents together. We did a lot of fun activities and checked out a lot of fun places. The kids loved just running and playing in Lindsay and Logan’s (and Ryan’s) backyard! So many fun things to play with and so much room to run.

They put their suits on and had a blast on the water slide that ended with a ride down the slip n slide.

Thirsty?

Thanks again Jeff and Beth for having us, it was soo much fun!!

Nap Time

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When Caiden is tired he will try anything to keep himself from falling asleep. Some days it works, which makes bedtime nice and early, and other days he will crash in the strangest places.

A few weeks ago he passed out right outside of the shower door, practically trapping me in the shower. He was waiting for me to get out and talking up a storm to me and then he got really quiet and really still, and once I squeezed out of the shower I took a few pics.

Under the Coffee Table

My favorite was when he propped himself up on the couch to try and stay awake until Tangled was over, it obviously didn’t work. He slept in this position for almost 2 hours.

Check out that open mouth, he was so tired that day!! So peaceful!

Picnic

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Kayli loves to set up the biggest blanket she can find and then line all of her stuffed animals up around the outside. She cooks in the play kitchen for a little bit while Caiden sets up the plates and then its time for a picnic, some days they even sit in the middle and eat with the animals. So FUN!! This is an almost daily occurrence around here! In fact, guess what they are doing as I type this.

Caiden wants nothing to do with pictures most days, in fact he turned away from me at the last second in the last picture, silly boy.