Tatum and Camdyn

I am not sure how we got so lucky with our girls, but Tatum and Camdyn really are so wonderful.  They amaze us everyday just by being themselves and we love them so much.

Camdyn is so fun and is now talking non-stop.  She tries so hard to say words and is starting to get better.  Now she can say Hi and Bye (with a wave of course), Mama, Dada and No.  No is probably the cutest thing she says because she says it while shaking her finger, wonder where she saw that!!  She is on the move constantly also.  She can run from one room to another in no time at all.  She understands us very well.  If we tell her to go give Daddy something or go put this note on the counter, she just walks with a purpose and does what we asked her to.  She is starting to get better at cleaning up toys and her things.  Camdyn basically loves to do whatever her big sister does.  If Tatum is reading, next thing we know Camdyn is reading.  If Tatum is dancing then Camdyn will dance too.  Camdyn is always making us smile with how super cute and happy she is!!

Tatum is amazing.  The things she loves most right now are dancing and reading.  She loves to be a "teacher" and read to all of us about 20 books a day.  She just looks at the pictures and describes them, or the books that she knows because we have read a lot she can say by memory.  My favorite book she reads to us is called Mommy Hugs.  It is about different animals and how they hug their babies.  It is so cute because Tatum will "read" the page and then hug us how that animal does, like a Monkey pats her baby for a hug, an elephant wraps her trunk, and a kitty licks her baby, that one is definitely funny every time!!  Tatum is such a wonderful big sister and just a wonderful person to have in our family.  She is so caring about everyone and is always wanting to make sure we are all ok especially her little sis.  Tatum is always there for Camdyn when she needs to her to play with her, to give her hugs and to help get her ready for bed.  Tatum is getting really good at writing.  She is the only one in her class that can write her name without help (bragging) and can write all of the letters with help.  She can write Tatum, Mom, Dad, Cam, and Doo-doo without help.  Just working on the rest of the family now!!  But she does know what letter everyone's name starts with.  We are so proud of Tatum and all she does.

Dance parties are a daily must in our house.  Everyday we turn on Pandora and jam out.  It makes all of us smile and the 4 of us love dancing like crazy and running around.  It is a good way for us to end the day before we head upstairs to do bath and settle in for the night.

Just a quick little update for our family journal on how our kids are doing.  What a lucky Mommy I am to get to have these little love bugs in my life everyday!!

Katie's UofA Graduation

A few weeks ago the whole Kahler family made the trip to Tucson for the weekend to watch Katie graduate from UofA.  It was so fun to watch her and hear all that she has accomplished in her 4 years of college.  Katie truly is amazing and we could not of been more proud of her.  Tatum had a great time looking up to cousin Katie, she is such a great role model for our girls!!

We left on Friday morning and headed to campus.  Obviously I went to ASU because I did not know how to spell McKale and instead of going to the McKale center we ended up at the Mchale's house, oops, silly me!!  After our minor detour we got to the arena and got set to watch Katie.  At this graduation she got to sit up on the stage and be recognized because she is such a smarty pants and got a million awards!!  We were so proud of her!!

Katie and Tatum before graduation

Katie and her cheering section

After the graduation we went to our hotel.  We stayed at Casino Del Sol and we are so glad that we did.  The hotel was so nice and we really enjoyed it.  We decided to take the girls swimming and the pool was awesome!!

Splash pad fun!!

Play time

Dancing on a stage

Shake it!!

The 4 of us.

We had a nice dinner that night and got to spend some time outside with the whole family enjoying a nice evening.  The next morning we got up bright and early to get to the University Commencement.  Tatum was so excited to buy Katie some flowers to give to her and held them the whole time.  Both girls fell asleep as soon as the lights went down and the speeches started and they woke up just in time for the ending.  So I would say they both did really well that day!!

Tatum and the flowers.

See Katie?!

Proud Family

Cousins!!

Alex and Katie, they are the cutest

Tatum giving Katie her flowers.

We got to go to Katie's apartment and have a nice lunch with all of her roommates and their families, it was great.  Other than the fact that Matt got really sick and spent the entire rest of the day and night in bed.  No fun for him!!  On Sunday we headed home with a stop at Eegee's for lunch.  Great ending to our little weekend. 

So PROUD of you Katie!!

Disneyland!!

We had been planning a Surprise trip to Disneyland for our girls for a while now and we were so excited the weekend finally arrived.  It was definitely hard to keep the trip a secret from them, but we managed to surprise both of our girls!!

The day before our trip Camdyn got sick.  We took her to the doctor to find out she had a severe ear infection in her right ear and her tube had fallen out of her left ear.  And like always the ear infection was causing an eye infection.  So she got some ear drops and eye drops and I spent the day at home with my kids.  The girls and I did some cleaning that day and "sorted" some clothes.  Tatum didn't question "going through the clothes" as it is something we do quite often in our house, we love to keep the closets organized!!  Both of the girls were so super good on Friday and I told them that since they were so good they could do anything they wanted that weekend.  Aunt Emma came over on Friday to spend the night and Tatum was so happy, she decided the something special she wanted to do that weekend was hang out with Aunt Emma, I said ok we can definitely make that happen!!

We woke the girls up Saturday morning and got them ready as usual.  We asked Tatum what she wanted to do that day and she said, play.  I said think of something that you really want to do that you always want to do more than anything.  She just sat there.  Then I asked her if she wanted to go to Disneyland.  She just smiled at me, like I was joking around and then I asked her again if she wanted to go to Disneyland and her face turned so red.  Tatum was so super excited, Camdyn of course was excited too, happy as always.

We got in the car that we had gotten all packed the night before (thank you so much Gramma and Grampa for letting us take your car, saved us HUGE on gas!!), stopped to meet Kristi and De and were on our way!!  The drive went good, Camdyn slept most of the trip and Tatum had fun doing scratchers on the way.  We stopped at the outlet malls on the way and did some shopping.  It was nice to get out of the car for a bit, then we continued to our hotel.  The Peacock Suites has been recently renovated and we got to stay in one of the new rooms.  It was really nice and seemed like a whole new hotel.  We walked over and had Johnny Rockets for dinner and other than being freezing while we ate outside, it was great!!  We got back to the hotel and got everything ready for our first day at Disneyland.  Tatum went to sleep pretty easily but Camdyn had a bit of a harder time.  Matt got up with her and was holding her and she just didn't want to go to sleep.  So he set her on the floor she walked about 4 steps and fell asleep right there on the ground.  It was hilarious, we were all cracking up!!  What a silly girl!!

Sunday morning we woke up and got ready fast and were on the bus and soooo excited!!  We headed straight to Fantasyland, Tatum picked Alice to do first and we did everything else there too!!  After Fantasyland we did Autopia and Pirates of the Caribbean.  Tatum was too scared to do it, so she and her Daddy sat that one out. 

Family

The girls and Aunt Emma



Dumbo!!

Teacups

Storybook Boats

Churros

Mommy and Daddy

Autopia

Cool Chick

Tatum and Daddy

After a fun morning in Fantasyland, I took the girls on Winnie the Pooh while everyone else rode Splash Mountain.  They were pretty wet so I was not sad that I missed it.  Then it was time for lunch and a rest.  This trip we decided to bring our lunch.  We packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, string cheese, chips, cookies and water.  It was perfect having our food with us, we just brought a soft ice chest that fit under the stroller and got it out when we were ready for it.  We all got full and actually felt good after lunch, knowing that we saved a ton of money and didn't eat too un-healthy.  During lunch Brer Bear paid a visit to our table and Tatum thought that was pretty great.  Camdyn snoozed during lunch so unfortunately she missed him.  After lunch Tatum was thinking she wanted to ride Splash Mountain.  I don't think she is quite ready for Splash Mountain because I think it is pretty scary with the darkness and the Laughing Place section.  But I told her we would go.  We were about to go over to it and she said, "But Mom I can't go on Splash Mountain I will get my hair very wet."  We all started cracking up, needless to say we did not ride Splash Mountain. 

Brer Bear

He snuck up on the girls

All the girls.

Then we headed over to California Adventure.  We got there just in time for the Phineas and Ferb dance party.  This was something I really wanted the girls to see because I thought they would enjoy it.  Camdyn danced in her seat and clapped along.  I got Tatum out of the stroller and tried to get her involved.  At first she just wanted to stay by me and dance and then towards the end she finally went out and danced with the cast members and the other kids.  She was so cute shaking her little toosh, such a fun thing!!

We tried to play at the puddle park but got kicked out because the girls didn't have shoes on.  I had extra clothes for the girls but not extra shoes and I didn't want them to get there tennis shoes soaked, so we left and decided we would just bring the girls extra shoes and their swimsuits the next day.  We had fun riding more rides and then headed back to Disneyland.

Excited for the puddle park

Having fun

Golden Zephyr

Breaking the rules with no shoes!!

Flik's Balloons in Bugs Land

We wanted to see the Parade for sure since we had never seen a Parade at Disneyland that wasn't Christmas themed.  We sat down in Town Square and waited for it to come, we were right at the very end of the parade, it was a perfect spot.  Tatum was a bit scared of the beginning because there is a line of drummers.  But we whipped out her ear muffs and as soon as the drummers passed by she was able to enjoy the parade (earmuffs on the whole time, of course).  Tatum had a great time shouting everyone's name in the parade and got so exctied when the cast members waved back to her.  Camdyn LOVED the parade.  I am not sure if Loved is a strong enough word.  She danced and waved and blew kisses and truly enjoyed everything about it!!

Ready for the parade

Soooo EXCITED!!

Blowing kisses

Still blowing kisses

Dancing!!

We rode a few rides after the parade and finished with riding the train around the park.  After the train we saw Goofy and said a quick hello!!

Dancing with Goofy.

Goofy and Tatum

Then decided to call it a day.  We headed to Downtown Disney for some dinner.  We ate at the mexican food place that we love.  Then we hopped on the bus and headed back to the hotel.  It wasn't too late when we got back so we decided we would all go swimming.  We had never used the pool at the Peacock before and it was fun.  The girls had a good time swimming and looked adorable in their new swimsuits.  Then it was back to the room and time for bed!!

Monday morning we were up early again and got to the park before it opened.  It was fun to be there first thing.  It was not crowded at all, but all of the people (adults mostly) took off running!!  We headed straight to see the Princesses.  We got to meet, Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.  Tatum loved meeting all of them of course!!  Camdyn like meeting Cinderella but didn't want much to do with the others.  It is always so fun for the girls to interact with the Princesses, and this time there was no wait so it was even better!!  Funny note, Sleeping Beauty asked Tatum was her name was and she said she was Cinderella, so while they were chatting Sleeping Beauty kept calling Tatum Cinderella, it was pretty funny and so sweet.

Tatum and Cinderella

Camdyn met Cinderella too!!

Tatum and Snow White

Tatum and Sleeping Beauty.

After some time in Fantasyland we made our way over to Thunder Mountain.  On the way over there we saw Woody!!  Tatum was very excited to see him and hopped out for a hug.  After pictures with Tatum, Woody headed over towards Camdyn.  Camdyn immediately freaked out and started crying.  I felt awful for her, she was so scared.  It was pretty funny to watch Woody back away from her after making her cry.  She just isn't quite ready for the characters yet. 

Spinning so fast!!

Woody and Tatum.

On Sunday we measured Tatum at Thunder Mountain and she was just 40 inches, the perfect height to ride, but it was closed so we couldn't get on.  But when we went over to California Adventure that day she couldn't ride a ride because they said she wasn't 40 inches.  So we weren't sure if they would let her on or not.  At the entrance they were busy measuring another child so we just snuck on by, I thought we were in the clear.  But there was another measure stick right at the front of the line.  Luckily she was tall enough and they let her on.  She was very excited and felt like such a big girl.    Tatum rode in between Matt and I and she held on tight.  She did not like the tunnels at all.  I think she liked the rollercoaster part just not the tunnels.  After we went on Thunder Mountain she said it was a bit scary because of the dark tunnels.  She didn't want to ride it again, so we watched as the rest of the crew did it again.  We were so proud of her for riding such a "big" ride, with no crying or anything.  I am glad she made her own choice to go on it and now she can choose if she ever wants to ride it again in the future.  Hopefully next time she won't be scared of those darn tunnels anymore!!

In line for Thunder Mountain

Excited!!

Yay Tatum!!

We did lots of rides in both parks and spent some time at the Puddle Park (swim suits and crocs were worn).  The girls had a BLAST playing in the puddle park.  Everyone was looking at the girls like we were so smart for having them wear their suits.  I just felt so bad for the kids who were soaking their jeans and tennis shoes.  Glad our girls came prepared!!  Camdyn got lots of stares for having her swimcap on, but we have to protect her little ears!! 

Ready to play.

Loving it!!

Play time!!

Getting wet!!

Love the puddle park!!

We got the girls back in their clothes and I took them to get a corn dog while the rest of the group rode Tower of Terror.  It was so funny all weekend Tatum would see a ride or hear us mention a ride and she would say, "Hey Mom, that is on Daddy's ipad," and get super excited.  It was fun having her relate the real life ride to the ipad Disneyland app!!  Tatum and Camdyn both loved the corndog.  It was huge and came with some apples.  They ate every last bite!!  We rode Little Mermaid, or Ariel as Tatum calls it, and headed back over to Disneyland. 

We went back to Disneyland and watched the parade again.  We spent the evening playing.  I really wanted to watch the Magic, the Memories and You that they show on Its a Small World, and I am so glad we saw it because it was amazing!!  Tatum did not like it because the music was too loud for her and she was upset during the whole thing, but Camdyn loved it, she was mesmerized.  After the show I was planning on going home, but the girls were both wide awake and still wanting to have fun.  So Emma took Camdyn to watch Fantasmic with Kristi and De, and Matt and I took Tatum on some rides, we did Autopia, Buzz and Casey Junior train while we waited for them.  Camdyn fell asleep during Fantasmic and we were all pretty tired.  So we went on Alice one last time and then headed home for the night.

Looking cute with her purse.

Tuesday morning we woke up and planned on just going to the park until lunch and then heading home.  Tatum had saved up enough money to buy herself an Ariel cup and 2 postcards so we did that first thing.  Tatum had really wanted to get her face painted the whole trip and we hadn't had a chance to do it yet, so we went and got that done as soon as the park opened.  We did a few of the girls favorites in Disneyland and then headed over to California Adventure to do their favorites over there.  We had lunch and then we headed out.

The Group

Family

Buying her own things.

Face paint.

Sisters!!

It was a wonderful weekend and we are so happy that we were able to surprise the girls and have such a fun, amazing time together!!  We cannot wait to go back!!  Tatum knows the next time we go it will be her birthday and she is counting down the days!!