Caden is so much fun right now! He is a bundle of energy and makes me laugh every day. I love my sweet little boy and his kind, goofy heart. He loves to be in the middle of things and really likes helping Daddy however he can. I don’t think it will be long before he is a regular sidekick when it comes to tools!
- Caden’s language skills are really picking up speed. He is learning how to put more sentences together and is starting to tell stories. Being able to retell what happened in the past, especially in order, is a really tough skill for some kids to master and he is doing great. He loves to talk about the errands we run — especially going to the grocery store! Daddy and Caden always have hilarious conversations about getting milk and yogurt and banaNAS! Caden is very expressive with his hands while he is talking too, which I find super cute. I love toddler stories!
- When Mr. Caden is in trouble, his automatic response is to crumple on the floor and hide his face in the carpet. If you’re holding on to him, he’ll cover his face with his hands and try to hide. Apparently the ostrich reflex is in people too! When we tell Caden not to do something, about half the time he’ll reply, “But I NEEEED to!” No buddy, you don’t need to do everything, especially something like drinking out of Momma’s cup. Lol!
- I love hearing Caden say what Daddy and I say. Since they both stay home, the majority of their phrases and vocabulary come directly from us. Caden’s newest acquisition is calling out, “That’s your timer Kamy!” when the kitchen timer goes off. We usually set it for her consequences and tell her when it goes off that she can come out. Caden’s our new announcer, though on occasion he gets confused when we use it for things like … cooking. =) It’s not always Kamy’s penalty timer.
- Caden is quite the little monkey. He’s always been coordinated, but it still amazes me what he attempts (and succeeds!) at doing. He loves to climb and is right behind Kamy in whatever she is doing. He’s not reckless and rarely gets himself in a position where he needs help or is stuck, but he is doggedly determined when he sets his mind to something.
- For Kamy’s birthday, I took her for two days for some special one-on-one time. Caden got to spend the same time with Min, just the two of them. They had a great time and really enjoyed spending the dedicated time together. Apparently Min wore him out too, because he took a great nap while we were out. This was Caden’s first one-on-one time with a grandparent, so I was happy it went so well. Caden’s really a sweetheart and pretty much says if you feed me, change me, play with me and I’ll be happy. It’s hard to complain about that!
- With Keller’s job change earlier this spring, we’re trying out new ways to mark if Daddy is off limits and working. It has been tricky for the kids to adjust to Keller busily working 40 hours a week during the day as opposed to just their evenings, especially when he wasn’t super busy. Our newest attempt is putting a physical barrier between the office and the living room. We are actually using a bi-fold door as the barrier and call it The Gate. If the gate is up, then the office is closed and you need to leave Daddy alone. If the gate isn’t in place, then you’re free to come into the office and play. It is working fairly well, though it certainly doesn’t block any of the noise and chaos that just comes with two little kids playing nearby. The kids are doing pretty good with it, even if I have caught Caden scaling the wall on occasion. It is so hard to leave Daddy alone when he is fun to play with!
- Caden loves to be outside. It doesn’t matter what we are doing, he can always find something to amuse himself with and explore. The kids spent two days out in Linden with Oma and Opa and had an absolute blast. We played by the lake and in the creek and went for a long walk. I remember spending a lot of time out in Linden when I was little, so it makes me happy to see our kids making their own memories out there.
