We got to celebrate Caden’s birthday with Oma, Opa, and Regine out in Linden at the end of October. Caden loves spending time out there, but it is even better with presents! We went for walks and played in the new sand and even got to do sparklers at night. We had a great time.
Caden is loving his new bicycle. He can get moving really quick and the little training wheels on the side are spinning around so fast! It won’t be long before he’s ready to try without the extra wheels. Right now, he actually needs to spend more time looking where he is going and paying attention before I can take them off. He spends half his time looking behind at me or at what he is passing, rather than the road ahead of him. Goofy boy! Also high on his list of birthday gifts is his train set. The kids play with it daily and create elaborate setups, complete with Lego tunnels and towers, gas stations and depots. It’s imperative that they use ALL the pieces of the track, so it often spans most of the kitchen floor and creates a stepping challenge. I’m on the look out for some of the more specialized pieces like bridges and turntables, but Caden loves to play with his trains.
Daylight savings time has been rough in our house. The kids never fully adjusted back to central time after our trip to Holland, so losing an hour made no difference to their little schedules. Since we are blessed to not have to conform to a school or work schedule, it means they are up at 6:15am and are totally ready for bed by 5:30 and asleep by 6pm. It makes for an early night and dinner starts at 4pm! I am not a fan of the early mornings, but I guess I can’t fault them for not sleeping in when they are already getting twelve hours of sleep. We all function much better when they get a full night’s sleep, so my alarm and I will just have to deal with it.
Caden is doing awesome with his undies! He rarely has an accident and we will even venture out to the grocery store or other errands. We now have a mandatory potty break at the grocery store (or two), but I am very proud of how consistent he is about taking care of business. AND I haven’t had to clean up after a poppy diaper in weeks! I see the light at the end of this diaper tunnel. =P
Way back at Halloween, the kids stayed with Min while Keller and I went to New York for the weekend. They pulled out the old costumes that Keller, Garin, and Payton wore. Kamy chose Pinocchio and Caden was the pizza. Of course, size was no issue, because Kamy managed to squeeze into hers and Caden could hardly walk. But they worked it out. =) They went to a Trunk or Treat at Legacy and had a fabulous time. Min said they “cleaned up” on candy and fully stocked her candy bowl to pass out on Halloween night itself. Keller flew home on Halloween and we took the kids to fall carnival in Longview on the way home. They did some bounce houses and inflatable slides, as well as a “train” tractor ride which they thought was a ton of fun. Kamy and Caden both wore the costumes I chose for the Renaissance Fair — a knight and a princess.
Also in October, Caden got to be the ring bearer for Payton and Corinne’s wedding. He did a fabulous job and took his role very seriously. I don’t have a good front shot of them, but I was given this image by another guest. They were super cute together! I also got some photos of the kids at the rehearsal the night before. I have to admit, Caden looks pretty sharp in a fedora!
Caden has decided that classical music is super funny, especially piano concertos. He just laughs and laughs when the pianist makes a huge run on the keys. I find it amusing because piano concertos are typically Very Serious Music and don’t really give me the impression of hilarity. According to Caden though, they’re a hoot!
Finally, in the words of Caden (and Min), “I really really really love you BIG TIME!” We love you too sweet boy!