March

Jordan plays basketball every Tuesday night at the church. He had been playing on Thursdays too in the stake tournament. That is until March 2. He came down on some one's foot and really hurt his ankle. He couldn't walk on it but he drove home (yes it IS his right foot) and banged on the window for me to help him in the house. Not what you like to hear at 10pm: "I need your help. I can't walk!" It was very painful and we wondered if he had broken it. A guy in the ward brought over some crutches (ironically the same guy whose foot was in the way :)) which saved us. The next morning we went to urgent care and x-rays confirmed that he had not broken anything. Ice and elevation was the advice. He was hoping to be done with the crutches well before his birthday on the 8th but it just didn't happen. He couldn't handle much weight at all. So Wednesday he stayed home and on Thursday and Friday McKay and I drove him to work and went to pick him up. By Monday he could put enough pressure on it to drive. When he went back to physical therapy for his elbows on the 9th the therapist took one look at his ankle and told him he needed to get to a doctor because he was pretty sure more damage had been done than just a sprain. He saw a doctor that afternoon and confirmed that he had torn ligaments and damaged tendons and would need physical therapy on his ankle. So, he has been going to physical therapy three times a week for a couple of hours first thing in the morning. It seems to be helping quite a bit though it will still be quite a while before he is back to running and playing basketball. Yesterday afternoon we walked to the park and back which is about 1.2 miles round trip. After about a mile he had had it and felt like he had pushed it too far. A week ago we couldn't even make it half a mile so he is improving.

We invested in some nice ice packs that wrap around his ankle and have definitely gotten a lot of use out of them. McKay likes to 'help' Daddy by bringing him the ice or by 'helping' him walk by holding onto his pants as he walks.

Hopefully his 27th birthday will be the one and only birthday Jordan ever has on crutches! The 8th was on a Monday (the first day he drove to work after his injury) so we went to dinner on Saturday and then McKay and I took him to lunch at Black Angus on his birthday. He requested a Pineapple Upside Down cake for his birthday. Y.U.M! McKay is getting lots of practice blowing out candles and is even more excited for his birthday in 'vulai' (July). He even prays for 'birthday' when he prays for 'Nanna, Papa, Daddy, Mommy, work (Daddy's job), Baby, and me'. If he forgets one he 'tries again'.

He got a hooded running rain jacket, a coupon for basketball shoes (kind of ironic...), trust/will software, Pilate's for Men, a vegetable grill basket, Trader Joes nuts, and several large t-shirts and lotion from my parents. He also got a card from Grandma and Grandpa Cardon on his birthday. Once again, McKay was very involved in opening gifts. Knowing this would probably be the case, I wrapped a lot of it. Birthday's are fun! I can't wait for July!

Saturday, March 13th we went to the Ano Nuevo State Park for a guided walk to see the Elephant Seals who come there to have their babies. We had made the reservations weeks ago - before Jordan hurt his ankle. The walk is about 3 miles on the sand so we were able to get our reservations switched to equal access so we rode a bus out to where the seals are and probably got a better view than we would have otherwise. McKay thought it was pretty cool to ride on the bus. It was his first bus ride and he kept looking at me with a grin and saying 'Bus Mommy!'

This pup was playing peek-a-boo with us. After a while, he and another pup worked their way up the beach to sun bathe. It was fun to watch them work their way up for a while, take a break, and then go again.
They start doing tours in the middle of December through the end of March so we were at the tail end of the season. All of the females were gone and most of what we saw were pups with a few older male stragglers.

Pups sun bathing. It is a natural reserve so nothing can be altered. We were fortunate enough to get to view most of what we saw near a dead pup. I was glad I didn't realize what the stench was until we were leaving. :)

This guy was huge. They stick their heads in the ground to sleep and can hold their breath for over an hour. They wake up long enough to take a breath and then go back to sleep. McKay thought it was pretty cool when this male used his tail to throw sand up on his back and kept asking for him to do it again. This guy also had scars all over his back from fighting with other males during breeding season. We would like to go again in December when the battles take place. :)

It was a beautiful day and we all loved being out!

We drove from the reserve to Half Moon Bay. At the recommendation of one of our guides, we stopped in Pescadero for some Artichoke soup. It was wonderful! We also stopped in at a bakery and got some garlic and artichoke bread which was also really good. My bread lovers (Jordan & McKay) really enjoyed it.

Everything is very green and there are fields and fields of beautiful yellow wild flowers. Love it!

I don't even remember what we were making but McKay enjoyed 'helping' me! This kid loves to make things and STILL asks if we are going to make pizza when we go to church. :) (We made pizza for a ward playgroup activity in January this year.)

McKay knows our routine when we go to the doctors office. He heads straight for his chair and keeps himself busy either with his doodle, eating goldfish, or coloring.

Snowman socks, train underwear and Mommy's shoes. :)

33 weeks

McKay looks forward to the weekends when Daddy doesn't have work and can stay home. By Thursday he is sure Daddy should be staying home. It is super cute. Here he is after they finished making cookies on Saturday - licking the flour off the table!

Castle Rock

February 27th was a rare spring Saturday when I didn't have taxes to do so we decided to take advantage of the day and go for a hike. It was threatening to rain but we decided to take our chances and wear hats and rain coats. We haven't ever been to Castle Rock State Park, about 30 minutes from our home, near Big Basin, so we decided to check it out. It sprinkled on us a little right when we got there but that was about it.

We loved all the waterfalls along the way. We've had a really wet year so there was a lot to see. It was beautiful and great hiking weather. McKay got a little cold since he wasn't walking most of the time but it wasn't too bad.

There was moss everywhere!
Most of the hike wasn't too bad but there were some spots where we had to climb using the rocks as steep steps or climb over big boulders. That part wasn't too fun for me but the rest was great.

29 weeks or about 6 months

Our destination waterfall is behind us. Too bad you can't see it. :)

McKay enjoyed hiking for the last 30-45 minutes and did quite well. Here he is walking 'over the bridge'. I was trying to take his picture and he was looking at the bridge so Jordan told him to look up. He did!

McKay loves to hike! We made the mistake of calling it a park though so he kept waiting for the playground to show up. We made another mistake by telling him we'd go to a playground after we were done hiking and he held us to it. So, even though we knew everything would be all wet and it was dark, we stopped at a park for 5 minutes while he confirmed that everything was indeed 'all wet!'

One view of 'Castle Rock'. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was huge.

McKay has decided he is done sleeping during the day so whenever we go out and he is in the car for more than 10-15 minutes, he falls asleep. Any suggestions on how you convince a child to take a nap when he really really needs it, would be great. He still takes a 'rest' in his room most days but it is usually very interrupted by trips to the bathroom. Sometimes he does have to go and other times he doesn't. I never know whether he really needs to or not. *sigh*

We were glad we took advantage of the break from the rain and the great hiking weather, especially when Jordan got injured playing basketball the following Tuesday. More on that one of these days when I get around to it!

February

So now that February is over I figure I'd better post about what happened during the month before March is over and I have February AND March to post about! Even though February is ONLY 2-3 days shorter than the rest of the months, it sure seems to fly!

McKay watching a 'show' in the morning. Looks comfy huh? He really enjoys watching Word World, Clifford, Curious George,and Thomas the Tank Engine.

Thursday the 11th was my birthday. Jordan had a basketball game that night so we spread out the 'celebration' through Friday. I talked with each of my siblings on (or pretty close to) my birthday as well as with my parents and Grandma. It was a nice birthday.
McKay enjoyed helping me open my presents.

Say 'CHEESE'!

I love kisses from my little man!

Spoiled, Spoiled, Spoiled!
My Dad's sister, Nancy Bailey, happened to be in town and came to see me on my birthday. It was great visiting with her. We don't get many visitors out this way, and I got a visitor on my birthday! It was a very pleasant surprise.

On Friday Jordan got off work early and we ate at Buca di Beppo. Afterward we had Ghirardelli Turtle Carmel Brownies with vanilla ice cream. Yeah, it was as good as it sounds. When I told McKay we were having birthday cake, he was SURE it should be an Elmo cake, just like he had for his 2nd birthday (seriously, the kid has a memory like no other). He now knows that his birthday is in July, and he is either going to have a 'train show' cake, a 'cars show' cake or a 'brown bear brown bear' cake. We'll see what else he comes up with before his birthday!

Ever since his birthday when he didn't know he was supposed to blow out the candles (how would he know??) we've been talking about what happens on your birthday each time an opportunity comes up. Now he knows, you blow out the candles on your cake and pretends to blow them out anytime he sees a candle or a picture of birthday cake.

McKay really got into the valentines day spirit and started working on making valentines in January. He made some for his Grandma and Grandpa Moser, Nanna and Papa, Dustin and Chantelle, Mommy & Daddy and a few more for Nanna & Papa. Each one was a little different. He used paint, water color paints, glitter glue (with help of course) markers, crayons, paper, etc. I forgot to take a picture of the valentines we sent to Arizona but you get the idea.

Jordan surprised me on my birthday & early for valentines day with a dozen roses. I loved having our place smell like chocolate and roses for a few days. What could be better?

McKay counting the numbers on the phone. He has 1-8 down, but he often forgets 9. If we help him with 9, 10 is totally there. Then it is anything from eleven to fourteen to seventeen etc. :) Good job buddy!

Talking to Nanna and Papa on Valentines day. They loved the valentines he sent them and a few days later he got a letter from them full of valentines. It happened to be the same day we talked about the mail carrier at our house for preschool so he got 'mail' in the morning from Mommy and then mail from the mail carrier in the afternoon. McKay LOVES talking on the phone, and is SURE everyone who calls is Nanna and Papa and I get in trouble if he doesn't get to talk to them too.

We've had a lot of rain this year so we take advantage of the days that are dry to go to the park. Here McKay is making a pizza out of sand that we pretended to eat. Yeah, I wasn't joking when I said he LOVED the playgroup activity when we made pizza. In fact, he still asks to make pizza each Sunday when we go to church. He'd pile the sand up, then say 'all ready mama' and hand me a pretend piece of pizza to pretend to eat. Then he'd make another one, telling me it was 'almost done' as he worked on it. His vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds in the last couple of months and we are loving his new communication skills!

McKay can put his underwear and pants on (he picked out his clothes this day - he often has an opinion on what he wears now) and he LOVES to wear his snowman socks. He is also a very good exercise buddy for me and can even remind me of what exercise I haven't done yet by showing me. Here he is on his 'turn' with the bands. His arms go up and down and he counts each one.

Here he is another day making pizza on the bathroom counter with a measuring cup and water.

The two Saturdays in the middle of the month, Jordan & McKay left while I stayed home doing taxes. They had a lot of fun together. The first Saturday they did a bunch of miscellaneous errands Jordan had been wanting to get done. He was so pleased with how well McKay behaved, he took him to eat at 'the star'. (Carls Jr.) McKay doesn't eat fast food very well (wonder where he got that!) but he thinks the star is pretty neat and constantly asks to eat there. Unfortunately for me, there is a Carl's Jr on the other side of the parking lot of the grocery store.

The next Saturday they went to story time at the library and McKay showed Daddy where to go. Afterward they went to Stan's, a little donut shop near our home that supposedly has the best donuts around. They picked out some donuts and McKay had one with green sprinkles he was really excited about. They got to the checkout and found out they only accept cash. Jordan had used all his cash the night before when he and I went to a Utah Jazz & Golden State Warriors basketball game in Oakland so they had to leave the store empty handed. McKay was d.e.v.a.s.t.a.t.e.d. to say the least. He was so upset and cried all the way home and into the house. He finally calmed down enough to eat lunch and then remembered the 'green' and started crying again. We finally gave him a green popsicle and Jordan promised to take him back another day (still haven't been back). It was so sad!

Spring is here!

I love being able to open the windows and let the fresh air in. We don't get to every day yet but we'll take what we can get.

Things to Remember

2-22-10
McKay's communication skills have really taken off in the last month or so. Some of my favorites of his new phrases are: Watch this, all ready, and almost done.

McKay has learned to take advantage of the moment we leave the room for a minute to get what he wants.

McKay's new favorite color seems to be purple. He always wants to use the purple bowl, eat purple grapes, and get a purple sticker after story time at the library.

2-15-10
Today at the park, McKay made pizzas that we pretended to eat. We'd finish one and he'd make another, telling me it wasn't ready yet. Once it was ready, he'd pretend to hand me a piece that I'd pretend to eat. I am loving the world of pretend!

2-14-10
McKay likes to build 'T's and Y's with his blocks.

McKay's imagination is taking off and he can find shapes and letters EVERYWHERE, from his food, to his blocks, to the clouds, etc.

2-11-10
Today I gave McKay a stack of books and told him he needed to sit on the couch till the timer dinged and read books. It was either that or finish his quiet time in his room, on his bed, while the roofers pounded on the roof. He read ALL the books for over an hour. And I LOVED hearing him read and talk about the books he was reading. Way to go buddy!

McKay was SO excited for my birthday today and now knows that his is in 'uuLLaey' (July).

2-2-10
McKay now knows what it means to 'pass gas' and will tell me each time he does.

2-1-10
I love when McKay sings. He usually sings songs he's made up or primary songs when he is not sleeping during nap time.

I love it when McKay says 'thank you Mama'. He says it so sincerely anytime I do something for him.

Woodland

Last Saturday, February 6th, Jordan ran the Woodland 10k race. We woke up during the night to rain pounding on the house and wondered what it would be like in the morning. We were hoping for no rain but after all it IS the rainy season now so what could we expect?!?
As we drove to the park McKay kept saying 'ya, yay!'

The top pictures are of the the same field. The one on the left is from the swings and the one on the right is at the finish line under the pavilion looking out at the rain pouring down! The bottom pictures are the trail head. The ground was so soggy! The 50k race started before Jordan's, and the 30k and 17k started 15 minutes after his. Between the rain and all those people... what a mess!

McKay enjoyed swinging on the big kid swings while we waited for Jordan to run. We hurried and snagged the swing after a little girl got off (she dried it off for us :)) but he only got to swing for a few minutes before a cloud burst and we ran for cover!

Jordan loved splashing in the muddy puddles. Hey! So did McKay! Some things never change. :)

They don't even look winded do they?
Jason ran the last race with Jordan too. It is nice to have someone there we know.

Our family with the Eggers family after the race. Jordan said he enjoyed this run more than the last one. The hills were more gradual rather than straight up & down! And running in the rain was nice. Once again, the views were amazing!

26 Weeks