Sleep Stalker.

I don't know what it is about a baby sleeping, but I could watch them forever. Well...maybe not forever, but for a really really really really really really long time. And that goes for ANY baby, but it's even worse with my own!! Every night before I go to bed I creep ever so quietly up to the door, crack it open and go in and peek at him. Sometimes Brian has to come get me out because I've "exceeded my stalking limit". Dang it. So peaceful. So cute. So snugly. I just want to give him a million kisses on his sweet little face. Not to mention, the positions he ends up in is just hilarious. Preciousness.

Lemme See...

Awhile back Brian and I noticed that Malachi has a terrible habit of collecting food in his cheeks. He would just shovel food in there and then store it until we stopped giving it to him. One night Brian was giving him goldfish and Kai, being his typical self, was doing the "squirrel" so Brian started giving him one and then said, "let me see", and then Brian would open him mouth, Kai would follow and we could check to make sure he hadn't stored any for later. It's actually really funny, but this is what it looks like in action.EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

Single Parenting. Dreadful.

Let me just start off by saying that I have come to the conclusion that I am, in no way, shape or form, ready for basketball season. Having a baby is one thing...having a squirmy, can't sit still, wants to run all over the place toddler, well, it's a whole other story. Brian was out of town this weekend in St. Louis for a Nike something-or-other and I was, well, a single parent. Oh the joys :) It was Friday night and I decided that Kai and I would hit up the volleyball game. In my head I was thinking, well they typically don't last too long, so I think we'll be okay. By thinking this it made me completely space out on bringing the following to the game: wipes, food, a drink, toys, a ball and a pacifier. So it's safe to say that all I had in there were diapers. Having said this, Malachi wanted to be held, then he wanted to get down, then he wanted to climb the stairs, then he wanted to run around on the court (the part that wasn't being used...) and then he wanted to be held, then he wanted to be put down...you get the picture? Well the team was only into their 2nd match and I was just absolutely exhausted SOOOO I called it quits and we went home. Kai went to bed just fine while I finished up some of our trip planning (that has been exhausting in itself...thanks for the help sisters *insert sarcasm*). Around 11:30 I decide it's probably about time I get some rest ANNND at 12:00 Malachi decides it's time to play. At 4:00 after being up this whole time Mommy is about to have a mental breakdown. Nothing I did would get him to sleep...and I mean NOTHING. Finally I gave him something to eat (only when I heard his poor little anorexic tummy growl at me) and then about 4:30 I put him down. AHHHHH finally some sleep...until about 7:30 when he woke up. DREADFUL.

This all leads into our lovely little Saturday. I somehow held myself together and did not become a zombie - obviously I am overwhelming exhausted, but since I felt like a complete "coach's wife/mommy" failure for bailing out of the volleyball game so early (okay okay I didn't really feel like a failure, I just realized I need to get my act together for bball season!) I put my game face on for the football game. Malachi takes a pretty decent nap (though not nearly as long as I had hoped) and we head over to the Mule Train at about noon. For those of you not familiar the Mule Train it is something that the boosters put on for all the other boosters/coaches where they pretty much cater this big tale gating thingy in the parking lot. They get different restaurants to cater it - free lunch! Of course Kai refuses to eat a whole lot of nothing (thankfully I got a little something in him before we left), except my DQ dilly bar. He pretty much ate half of it. Judge me all you want, but yes I let him have it :)

Finally it is game time and all seems to be going well. Thankfully the games aren't too packed so Kai is able to walk up and down a row of bleachers...to an extent. Malachi's buddy Hayden, the little boy I watch during the week, was sitting right in front of us and they were VERY entertaining. Hayden has a kissing/biting obsession to Malachi's head/face (ALL THE TIME!) and lately Kai has been shoving his hand right back in his face. It's really funny. Also of late, Malachi LOVES LOVES LOVES to put things over your mouth so when you talk it sounds funny. He typically does it to himself and then wants you to do it. Also, really funny (see pictures for explanation).During the game Kai wanted to go over on the other side, then once he was over Hayden would want to come on my side...little boys are freaking tiring! Anyway, we only ended up making it to half time before the little tyke was ready to take a MUCH needed nap. I need to train him to sleep on/under the bleachers somehow...

HELLO Vactation...in 3 months :(

Well December is going to be one busy month for us! This will be the first year that the ENTIRE Lohrey family will be together (finally)!!! It is going to be one packed house in the Springs and we are so excited. And by excited I pretty much mean when I think about it I get all giddy with excitement that I can't help but smile, jump up and down and clap my hands. Yes, just like a kid in a candy store. Obviously we'll be there AND Brian's sister, Shanna, will be there with her family...AND Kai's cousins! It's going to be such a fun Christmas with all the kiddos together (goodness that kinda makes me sound like an adult...ugh). I can't wait for Kai to wrestle his cousins for the wrapping paper, and chase the dogs around and pretty much just create complete, total mayhem!

After our Colorado excursion, Kai and I, along with ALL my sisters, are going to meet my dad in the Canary Islands. Ahhhh tropical heaven. When we were first planning this trip we were all about going to Italy. That is the one place we all wanted to go, without a doubt. Then we started doing research and some "soul searching" and guess what, Italy is freezing in December/January. No bueno. At the end of it, we realized that the chances of us planning a trip to Italy were a lot higher than planning a trip to...say...the Canary Islands. Allison and Meredith were a little disappointed about not going to Italy, but all I had to do was tell them it was like the Hawaii of Spain and they would never be disappointed in a free trip to Hawaii. They soon snapped out of it :) So yes, yes we are off to the Canary Islands RIGHT from Colorado. Poor Malachi is going to be one tired little boy:( The flight over there is about 19 hours (layover in Chicago and Madrid), so I'm very excited that we all got on the same flight (minus my dad - he's already over there) because I am definitely going to need help! Unfortunately Brian can't come because of basketball, but I know one day we'll get to take another amazing tropical vacation together :) And yes...Malachi had to get a passport (which is a ripoff to say the least), but it's the cutest little passport picture I have ever seen. I, however, look like a convict. Awesome.

We are so excited - everything has been booked and we are ready to bring in the New Year in STYLE :)

Meet Peter.

Peter is a giraffe. He often gets body slammed into the ground and then gets his nose bitten off (see picture). Malachi discovered him when my mom came out to visit a few weeks ago. Poor Peter has been sitting on Kai's book shelf without any love since we moved to MO and then BOOM, he was discovered. At first my mom was using Peter to attack Kai with snuggles and kisses, which somehow blossomed into a full on body slam/biting relationship. Kai will sometimes throw Peter into his little wagon he has for his blocks, other times he just sits on the shelf or ground being completely ignored. I guess every now and again when Kai is feeling particularly macho, he gets Peter to take out some aggression. He attempted to use Hayden for this, but realized that doing so was frowned upon. Poor Hayden. Poor Peter. What a macho little man we created :)

Side note: there is no particular meaning from the name Peter. My mom asked me what his name was and for whatever reason, Peter was the first thing that fell out. I will say that Peter suites him quite nicely.

Oh...Hello.

So Brian keeps telling me that he is sick of checking our blog and finding that I have not made a point to update it for over a month. To that I told him to update it...and thus, it still has not been. Well lucky for me Brian took Kai to the volleyball game and gave me a little down time...in which he "suggested" I could use to update our blog. Brian, this one's for you :)

Honestly not a whole lot has changed. I mean, Malachi changes daily, sometimes hourly, but not really a whole lot to report. He IS, however, walking. Woo hoo!! I thought it was never going to happen. It makes me feel better that Gillian and Hayden both aren't walking yet :) Everyone told me that once they start walking it's "all over". NEWS FLASH: it was all over the second he learned to crawl!! He falls a little bit more, but he's not making any more of a mess than he was before. AND he's a little slower at walking than crawling, so it actually makes it easier for me to catch him AND I don't have to bend down as far :) His little personality is just BUSTING at the seams though. I have never met a one year old with so many facial expressions. The kid never stops cracking us up. He's also really started to play with his basketball and hoop, which is what Brian has been waiting for since we found out I was pregnant with the little guy. Just the other day he had the ball, literally sprinted (in true baby form stumbling everywhere) and JAMMED the ball right through the hoop. He tried to show off a little bit by hanging on the rim and the whole hoop tipped over and landed right on him. He just laid there for a few minutes waiting to see if he was supposed to cry or not, then gave me the biggest smile. Little stinker. He is truly just a bundle full of energy and brings us so many laughs and smiles every day. The kid was made for something GREAT.

This is for the family that doesn't have facebook and haven't seen all the millions of pictures I post on there. I can't help it, he's just too cute :)