Caden Turns 4!

Caden turned the BIG 4 yesterday!  This picture was taken late last night after all the celebrations of the weekend had come to an end.  I sat with Caden and asked him 20 questions.  This is my new birthday tradition for the kids.  I'll ask them the same 20 questions (starting at age 4).  I think it will be fun to see how their answers change over the years.  Here are a few of my favorite answers:

What is your favorite tv show? All of them.

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Ham-a-burger.



What is your favorite animal? Turkeys at the farm.  Gobble, gobble.

What do you want for dinner for your birthday? Steak & apples.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Race car driver.

To see a full list of the 20 questions, go here.



Caden really wanted Star Wars cupcakes for his birthday.  I was in a pinch at the last minute and ended up buying these little Star Wars figures.  They were perfect!  I hope you all had a great weekend!

Caden's Chipped Tooth

Caden chipped his front tooth last night.  He keeps telling me how much his tooth hurts.  And then he throws me a laugh and a smile.  I'm pretty sure he's milking this for all it's worth, but it's probably because I keep falling for it.

Caden Goes to Preschool

Caden started preschool last week and if you can't tell, he loves it!  Can you also tell by these pictures that he never stops moving?  He is such a busy boy, I tell you!  I'm so happy I've kept up my workout routine.  I think I might be in the best shape of my life and it sure helps me keep up with him!

Caden wakes up every morning and asks me if he's going to school.  And then he asks me if we can have ice cream for breakfast.

Gotta love him.

We've been a little hit and miss around here.  Sorry about that. The summer has been downright gorgeous so we are getting out as much as we can before the winter sets in. 

Family Pictures

We were so lucky to be photographed by Casey's cousin, Arika Averett when we were in town for Kaityln's wedding.  Arika is seriously a saint.  Do you know how hard it is to photograph a mobile baby and a rock throwing 3 year old?  Trust me, it's tough and she did amazing!



Arika's working on building her portfolio, but trust me... she already acts and shoots like a pro.  If you live in Utah, you should check her out.

Perspective

I was thumbing through pictures on my phone the other day and discovered this one taken by Caden.  I have no idea what it is, but I love it.

I usually love most of the pictures he takes because they are from a different perspective than mine.  When he takes pictures of Porter, he is laughing or smiling so big-- big brother always gets the best response. Sometimes his pictures are little pieces of a door or wall so they are fairly abstract.  He usually captures me at my finest moments too.  Luckily they are almost always blurry so you can't make out the expression on my face.

He's incredible at capturing real life.  Not the, "Say cheese!  Mommy's going to take a picture" that I'm so good at capturing.  I love Caden more than ever and it's fun seeing him grow up day by day.  Sometimes I wonder what he'll be like in 20 or 30 years.  Will he be a rock climber, or artist?  At this moment in time, it's hard to say what he'll do when he grows up, but given his persistence and perfectionism, I'm going to say anesthesiologist or frog hunter.

Hope you're having a great day, friends.  Love you more than ever!  xo

Fashion: According to My 3 Year Old

Me: Caden, what are you doing?

Caden: I'm working out!

We may just have a fashion guru on our hands.  He sure knows how to accessorize well!

Beach Bums

The weather here has been Perfect.  We are soaking up every minute of it so when winter comes we won't have a single regret.  {Have I told you how nervous I am for our first winter here?}

Last week, we purchased a pass to the local beach and we easily spent 4 hours there on our first visit munching on cheese and crackers, building sand castles, and playing in the cold water.  Having to juggle the two boys, I told Caden he could go in the water as I tended to Porter on the shore (they have multiple lifeguards on duty).  I told him he had to stay in water that fell below his waist line on his swim shorts.  He ran into the water splashing around, hiked up his shorts and looked at me for approval.

I couldn't help but laugh.  If there's a loophole, he's sure to find it!

Hope you're having a great Monday!

Breakfast Discussions

Nevermind the fact that this would totally cancel out this morning's workout, this sounds delicious right now.

I filmed a quick little video this morning asking Caden a couple typical questions at breakfast.



I've been trying to capture his personality on camera more, but he always knows when I'm filming so he alters it a little bit.  I love his expressions and he's at such a cute stage right now.

Happy Friday everyone!

xo

P.S. I'm so used to using a camera that I forget to film landscape. :)

|photo via She Wears Many Hats|

 

Picnic Time

Last night, we asked Caden what he wanted to do.

His response?

Have a picnic with apples and oranges.



We thought it was a great idea and found this wonderful spot about a mile from our house.

What a beautiful night!!

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend!!  Have any big plans?

xo

Creative Caden

Little Porter is sick.  He has bronchiolitis and after I was gave him a nebulizer treatment, and was snuggling up with him, Caden entertained himself by turning some paint cans over and drumming.  I just love how this guy can make my day so much better by doing the simplest things.

If you wouldn't mind, please keep Porter in your thoughts.  It's been a rough day for him and he could sure use them.  xo

Smiling & Enjoying It All

This photo pretty much sums up my life right now....
A hungry baby, and a determined 3 year old.
And me trying my best to smile and enjoy it all.

{Thanks to The Leekers for capturing such a great photo}


Wow. Where has the time gone?
Porter is now 4 months. And would probably respond to the name Sir chubbs-alot.
We went to the doctor yesterday and he weighed in at 18lbs. 10 oz.
Let's just say don't take his food away. He might just start to do kung fu if you do.

A Happy Birthday to Caden!!! He is now 3!
We had a simple little birthday bash with his cousins and he loved every minute of it!
He added to his GeoTrax collection, and spent the entire night assembling the tracks, and "sharing" with his frey-ends (friends).

Caden has quite the imagination these days, and has started making up his own stories. Some of my recent favorites:

-I like wearing a belt these days (see above). Caden says, "Mom, why are you wearing a seat belt?"
-Playing with his helicopter guys: "Okay, guys, this is what we're going to do..."
-"Momma, you pushin' your luck."

I really love this stage that Caden is at. It seems like we are having a lot more fun these days- and our home is so much more creative. Yay for happy times!!

xo

Happy Valentine's Day!

I wanted to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day!  Our weekend was filled with making valentines at the local letterpress shop and celebrating Caden's 3rd Birthday!  {And eating Porter's cute baby cheeks}. Don't you just love that wooden teething ring Porter is holding?  Check out Little Alouette for lots of baby goodies.

Hello 2011!

Hello everyone! It's 2011 and I hope the year is off to a good start for you. I've had an amazing 3 months spending my time at home full time. And just this week, it's was back to work. And it feels pretty good. I'm only working two days a week and I think it's perfect. Though it's been hard to get back into the swing of things, it's been good to have a solid routine back.

As with every New Year, I like to set goals going forth. It helps me gain focus and perspective on my life. I also like to set goals I will complete. I never like looking back on the previous year not having completed one of my goals. Here are some of the goals I have this year:

1. In May, Casey and I will celebrate our 10 year anniversary. {seriously! Where has the time gone?!} I resolute that we will go somewhere awesome without the kids by the end of the year.
2. Last year, I vowed to workout more. Then surprise, surprise! I got pregnant. I sucked at working out. This is the year. Watch out world. We are setting up a mini gym in our basement and I want to work out 3-4 times per week.
   
3. Eat less meat. I want to explore a more balance diet by eating meat 3-4 times per week.
   
4. Keep things simple. I worked really hard to simplify last year, and I want to keep that theme in my life. I continually have to remind myself when asked to take on more whether I am able to, or not. And if it's really worth it. {Here's a secret... it's not worth it 9 out of 10 times}

Now that I have two kids, it seems like time moves faster than it ever did before. Has anyone else experienced this? It's a crazy thing to see my boys growing at rapid speeds. Porter is 3 months today, and next month, Caden will turn 3 years old. I love these little boys with all my heart. I hope the world slows down a little bit so we can enjoy the now.

Motherhood Surprises

Motherhood constantly surprises me. I always knew growing up that I would have children, and that I would be a mother. But I never really thought I would be that good at it. My patience wears thin if things aren't going the way I planned and I like to be busy which makes for a hectic home sometimes.

At the beginning of each year, I make goals and my one goal for this year was to simplify my life so I can focus on more important things.

I had no idea that we would have another child this year. But I'm so, so glad we did. And I'm so, so glad that I focused on simplifying this year.

It has made me a far better mother. I am much more patient, and less busy filling my life with things I think will make me happier.

Seeing Caden as a big brother makes my heart swell. He is the sweetest 2 year old I've ever met and I'm so thankful to be his mom. And that Porter. He's a gem of a baby. So cuddly and so precious. These two guys make me proud to be a mother.

Hello Porter Clark

He's here! Welcome Porter Clark Averett!

8 lbs. 14 oz.
21.5"
Born Friday 10/8/10 at 3:25pm

We came home today and big brother, Caden held Porter's hand the entire ride.

Cutest thing ever.

I'm loving our family of 4 already.

Big Boy Caden

Caden is growing up to be such a big boy.... he's definitely not a baby anymore. I've been focusing on being a better mother by making sure he gets the stimulation he needs and deserves. We're very lucky to have wonderful church friends that are proactive and plan activities such as playgroup {where we go to various locations around town as a group- i.e. the zoo, husker stadium, parks, etc.} and music makers {which is just like KinderMusik}. These activities happen to fall on my days off and we are very grateful for that.

Once I go back to work, my days off will shift and we will be left to figure out our own activities. Knowing this is on the horizon, and Caden would appreciate some activities while I'm home full time with him and the baby, I started planning mini preschool lessons for him. They only last about 10-30 minutes depending on the activity that goes with it. He is already loving it and I can see it paying off in his vocabulary and knowledge- which is so fun to see!

The other day, our little lesson was "A is for Acorns" so we went to East Campus for an Acorn hunt, and then came home to count our collection of acorns together. Then we sang a couple fall themed songs and colored an A is for Acorn page.

Since he enjoys this so much, I spent a few hours putting together a mini lesson manual to get us through November. I love teaching him and it has helped to map out our activities ahead of time.

As far as an update on the baby.... I had an ultrasound on Tuesday and the baby is measuring 8 lbs 4 oz. {although it's hard to know how accurate this truly is-- but my guess is that it's not too far off considering Caden was 8 lbs at this stage of the game). The doctor would like to induce me a week early. We are considering this and need to get him an answer tomorrow. Please be thinking of us as this seems like a really difficult decision. One part of me would like things to happen naturally, and the other part of me doesn't want to deliver a 10 lb baby.

I hope all is well with everyone.

xoxoxo

Big Helper

Oh, look at them go. They're like two peas in a pod.

Caden insists on helping Dad mow the lawn and when they're done, he comes inside so proud saying, "I mow yard, mom-ma!"

It's about the cutest thing ever.

And it makes me happy, especially in these last days of pregnancy. {I know this baby could come any minute- I had Caden 4 days from now during his pregnancy}.

We had a bit of a scare this week {you can read more about it here}, but things are okay.... it just made me realize how unprepared I am to deliver a baby again.

I was lucky to have Caden with me on Thursday during the ordeal and he was so cute. He would say, "You sad mom?" as he would hand me a tissue and then say, "wipe nose."

And that would make me cry even more.

Because he's about the cutest thing ever.

I go in on Tuesday to have an ultrasound to see how big this guy is.... anyone want to take a guess?

Caden's World

I can't help but feel a little sentimental these days. I know how much Caden's world is going to change in the next few weeks, and it makes me a little sad.

The past few weeks I've been obsessed with getting the entire house clean from top to bottom, and finishing some decorating projects.

As wonderful as checking things off the list have felt, it dawned on me that I need to be spending some quality time with this little guy.

Before his entire world is turned upside down.

So today we went to the park, had a cookie together and built train tracks upon train tracks. He helped me wash some of the baby's clothes, fold them, and match up socks. To cap off the day, we read books, sang wheels on the bus about 1600 times and counted to 6 about 1200 times.

It was a good day and now I don't feel so bad.

I know he won't be the only one with his world turned upside down, and honestly, I don't feel prepared for this baby at all. I'll admit I am concerned about having more than one child and being able to handle all that's on my plate. And most importantly, being able to be a patient and somewhat rested mother.

With Caden no longer napping, I don't know how it's all going to work. My goal is to work to have a more structured quiet time for Caden so we can all have about 1 1/2 hours down time. I figure Caden can have a quiet time basket with activities and/or toys that can only be played with during quiet time. (i.e. special books, movies)

Do you practice quiet time in your home? If so, where do you have it (Caden & the baby will be sharing a room)? What activities do you allow during this time? Any tips you can give would be so very helpful.

Caden's Prayer

When saying prayers tonight, Caden had three trucks in his hands: a red fire truck, a orange cement mixer and a black truck.

Here was his prayer:
Father
Thanks
Red truck
Orange truck
Black truck
Daddy work
Mommy
Pants
Shirt
Amen!

A Dinosaur in Our Midst

So I am over half way through the pregnancy, and conversation spurs everywhere I go about babies. Most of the time, it's with complete strangers, and it's delightful - I really do love it.

While at the pool the other day, a new friend quickly figured out this was my second child and said, "with one child, you feel like you can still do everything you did before kids. With the second, you are tired and ready to slow down."

And that I am, my friends. When I found out I was pregnant, it was exciting and shocking at the same time. I had a full plate with deadlines surrounding the baby's arrival and was already overwhelmed and exhausted (much to my own doing). And then Caden decided naps and sleeping were for the birds so more exhaustion set in. I felt like I was living in a pressure cooker-- trying to juggle being a good mom, and being involved with things I loved so much. Then one day, things started being taken off my plate and some tough decisions were made. A lot of faith ensued. Followed by a lot more peacefulness and happiness in my life.

I didn't realized how quickly I was trying to rush through life. It clicked about the moment I was getting mad at Caden for not sleeping when I finally woke up and realized that I was only thinking about me. He didn't want to take naps, and whatever I had to do needed to wait. Now some days we spend a little quite time relaxing and cuddling, instead of me fighting him so I can hop on the next conference call.

I've always loved this little Dinosaur with all my heart, and now I appreciate my motherly duties even more.

{Caden with this R-ar feet}