Happy #27 to my sweetheart!

Happy Birthday. I love you, I love you, I LOVE YOU!

We had such a fun day today. We went to the gym this morning, and after our workout, took Kaden to the pool. He was fearless and loving it so much! He wanted to swim on his own, obviously not realizing he sinks like a rock. He jumped off the edge about 15 times, and ran around the shallow end. He fell over enough times to get a few good gulps of yummy pool water...YUCK. He was SO happy though. When I held him he splashed and kicked and acted like he was trying to "swim". It was very entertaining for Matt and I. We didn't stay too long because it was quite tiring trying to keep a hold of a slippery, squirmy, littly fishy. We came home and had a nice little birthday lunch and Matt opened his presents. In the afternoon, my mom took Kaden and Matt and I met up with Matt and Andrea for a fun evening.


We ate dinner at "Mama's Boys", a nice little Italian restaurant. Then headed over to Baskin Robin's for 31 cent scoop night! YES!!!!!!


MMMMMM....loving that yummy ice cream.


But....I still taste way better!!!


Outside of Baskin Robin's there were firetrucks and all sorts of fun stuff going on. Kids were running around everwhere in little fireman hats, it was cute. Matt and Matt had to get a picture with "Sparky".

We make the fire engine look good! Well...at least we pretend that we do.

We came back to our house and watched a movie and ate popcorn. Kaden woke up and wanted to play and climb all over Matt and Andrea. He also fed them fruit loops and juice. He loves to share his food. We also ate some DELICIOUS cake that my mom made....serious the best cake ever. So....as anyone can tell, we have pretty much been eating ALL DAY...YAYAYAYAY, gotta love that! It was such an enjoyable day....and so much fun to celebrate my handsome man! Happy Birthday Babe!!!!!!

More than just a workout

Matt and I have been going to the gym regularly for about 6 months. It's been great for both of us. Matt is able to do his own workout without help from anyone. It's nice because I can go to the classes I love, they have fun kid-care for Kaden, and Matt can do his own thing. He will work out for up to 1 1/2 hours straight! He is motivated and enjoys recording and charting the things he does. One time I was in a class and he came to the door and said, "Babe (huffing and puffing), I've been on the stair-stepper for 30 minutes, can I be done now?" It was cute, but honestly, who does the stair-stepper for 30 minutes?!?!?! I sure don't.

We look forward to our gym time. It is a good outlet and definitely a mood lifter. I have had so many people come up to me and tell me how sweet Matt is, how he inspires them, and how much they enjoy seeing him there. Yesterday, I was especially touched. I was introduced to Deb, a woman who, two years ago, was in a serious motorcycle accident. She was in a drug-induced coma for about a week, and was on life support. She showed me the scars on her leg from the injury. Watching her walk was hard; I could almost feel her pain.

She wanted to meet me, to tell me how inspired she is by Matt. She said that she had had several conversations with him, and that he is the nicest most caring and friendly person she's met. She said that he is the reason she comes to the gym. She knows his story, and sees him on the bike, stair-climber, or whatever other machine, and she knows that if he can do it, then so can she. Deb said that he has motivated her more than anyone else and she looks forward to seeing him at the gym. She talked about how hard life is after something changes the way one's world used to be. Tasks that were once so simple are now near impossible. She thanked Matt and I for coming and for helping her realize she can do more than she knew she could.

It was a touching moment for me. I know that Matt inspires me, but it is so special when others are so touched by his life. He is touching more people that I am sure either of us are aware of, and I just wanted to share this story, to express my love for Matt, and to say that I am so proud of him.

It's very, VERY, hard being a 16 month-old...

Today we were wandering the mall, killing time before an appointment. We had already had a long day and Kaden was getting antsy. So, we let him get out of the stroller and run around a bit. He wanted to push and was loving it...until he ran the stroller right into a wall. So....Matt, in an effort to help, steered the stroller from the wall.....

Kaden misinterpreted the gesture and was sure the stroller was being taken away from him. He literally melted into the floor and had a conniption fit.... He rolled around and just cried and cried. He got even more upset when I started photographing him. I actually found it somewhat sad, somewhat humerous. Here come the days of the tantrum......

SO pitiful....

His little ear grabbing is a comfort thing he has done forever. I guess it's like thumb-sucking, which thankfully he never picked up on. I love how when he gets sad, tired, or is sick, he just grabs his ear and plays with it. (It gets tricky though, when he isn't feeling well, trying to figure out if he's got an ear infection.)

Usually Kaden is a big ball of smiles and sunshine, but I guess the day had just gotten too long. Naptime was well overdue, and well, it's just plain hard being a toddler. After a much needed rest, dinner, and a warm bath, he was back to his irresistable CUTE self.

He loves to climb up on this rocker, hold onto the dresser, and "surf". I was looking at photos on the computer and he was just standing behind me pointing and talking. He got the most excited seeing pictures of himself as a little baby. So sweet.

A beautiful, sunny day at Mesa Verde

Last week Traci and the boys came to visit for a few days for spring break. We met up at Mesa Verde national park, and had the best time. It was the warmest, prettiest day this year and I loved being outside. I have never been so excited for spring to come. Mesa Verde is a huge area full of different Pueblo Indian dwellings, dating back to 1200-1300 AD. They are spectacular and the architecture is amazing. We had a great time hiking around, taking tours, and seeing the sites. It was too bad that the rest of the time they were visiting it was cold, windy, and everyone was sick!


This is the "Cliff Palace". It is the most famous site and it's huge! It is incredible that people that long ago could make such an amazing structure, with their own handmade primitive tools. The blocks and walls are perfectly level, and the columns completely circular...AMAZING. The nearest water source was 8 miles from this spot....including a climb up the cliff. No wonder the people were only about 5' tall and 90 lbs!


At the lookout spot.

It was fun to have Gabe and Connor along...too bad Connor just wanted to sit in the car and read his book!

It was so fun to take a few little hikes through the beautiful sites. I was quite impressed how well Matt did with all of the hiking around. There were tall ladders to climb, and a few areas with really steep, narrow steps built into the rock, and he did great. I think he loved it too.

Matt with Gabe and his mom.

Climber man.

There is a dwelling across the canyon behind Gabe. It's a little hard to see. The whole plateau used to be covered with trees, but there have been a lot of tragic fires there over the last few years. The park is still beautiful though.

Matt with his mom at the lookout.

What a BEAUTIFUL day!

Our sweet little redhead...

Wow, we have had quite a busy and eventful week...but we're back! I'll update later, but here are just a couple of pictures that I love.

I love this picture....it's perfect. Kaden was sick for 5 days last week and it was so sad. He was so subdued and quiet. He just layed around, wanted to be held, was droopy and looked miserable. I hated seeing him feeling so bad. I am thrilled he is feeling better and back to his jabbering, giggling, energetic self.

I did it, I did it, I DID IT!

I finished Kaden's quilt and I am so proud! To my surprise it actually turned out really quite good! Plus, I had so much fun making it. YAY! I love all of the bright colors and cute fabric designs. It totally fits my little man...and me!




Kaden approved.....when I gave it to him he started rolling all over it, hugging it, squeezing, and wrestling with it. A good sign to be sure.

A closeup look at the cute fabric. I love the happy frogs and the jungle animals!

I didn't think it was going to be THIS big!

He's a lady's man....

Almost all my friend's kids Kaden's age are girls. He loves his friends. Last weekend Matt and I went to our friends Reese and Will's house. We had so much fun playing "Guitar Hero" and eating lots of pizza. Kaden and Danica ran around and played for hours. Kaden is a little social bug, and LOVES other kids. Danica is over a year older than he is, but he just loves her. When I would hold Kaden she would say, "hey, put Kaayyen down, he wants to pway with me." SO CUTE!




Look at those sopping wet pants and big belly hanging out. He's got pizza all over his face...and he's still the cutest boy ever.... Danica thinks so too :)

Kaden will not drink water from his cup, but if I have a water bottle he is in heaven. He was just guzzling away, gagging on it, his eyes watering, and spilling it everywhere. It was quite humerous, and I know he was loving not wearing his shirt. He loves to be naked. It really is quite liberating! The minute the clothes come off he is off and running.

How do I love you?

Let me count the ways...

This winter, as we were traveling home from a wonderful Christmas vacation, we heard a story on the radio that I will not forget. An older man had passed away and his grown children were helping his wife go through all of his things. They came across a very large collection of letters. They were love letters that this man had written to his wife. The kids were so touched, they convinced their mom to compile them into a book. Together, a book was published, called "Love Letters on Wednesdays" (or something like that). This man had written his wife a letter every Wednesday, telling her of his love. Some were pages long, others only a few sentences. She occassionally wrote him a letter, but he was steady in his writings. These are her most cherished posessions. Matt and I were both SO touched when we heard this story. We decided, that we would write each other letters. They would be our "Love Letters on Sundays". That night, on our way home, we made a stop and purchashed journals that we had each picked out. I write in the green one for Matt, and he writes in the blue for me. We don't write every week, but we are diligent in this, and I would have to say that this is something so special, and something I would recommend everyone do. I have benefitted so much from the beautiful things that Matt writes to me. They come straight from his pure heart. As much as I love the things he writes to me, I think that I have benefitted even MORE by writing to him. I am reminded of how dear and special he is to me. Sometimes I write about a memory we have, other times I think of a special reason I love him, but no matter what I choose to write about, it makes me smile inside and reminds me of my love for my husband. This little thing we have chosen to do has been something that I cherish and look forward to. I look forward to writing to Matt, and I look forward to reading Matt's sweet words of tenderness to me.

Don't turn your back on a little Rascal

And here he is....caught in the act! I was sewing Kaden's quilt and he was sitting on the floor right next to me. We had music playing and he was just jabbering away. Then he got a little bit quiet...never a good sign. I could see that he was getting into the picnic basket. There were so many fun goodies in there! He entertained himself with the bright green cups, plates, and utensils for quite a while...then, he found something much more interesting and tasty! A whole bag of "Pixy Stix". I looked over at him when he had been quiet for too long...and there was colored sugar EVERYWHERE. He was covered, and the kitchen floor even more covered. It was too cute...the only bad thing is that I had just swept and mopped the entire kitchen (it's my least favorite chore). So, I did it all again. It was worth it, seeing his happy sugar-covered face.



Yesterday I was trying to catch up on Medical Transcription for a few hours. Kaden is the best at entertaining himself, and I love that I am able to get so much done (usually). He made quite the mess, but was very content for nearly two hours. I would take a break here and there and play with him for a bit, then get back to work. We always have music on, and he just dances and dances. It was so fun to watch him play and giggle. LOVE this kid!

His shirt has his name on it, "Rascal".

More sunshine, making more memories....

This time we had a picnic lunch at the park. It was so fun, warm and sunny. The best part was that we were there at just the right time. The train tracks run RIGHT next to the park and we got to see the train go by. It is the Durango & Silverton Narrowguage Railroad (http://www.durangotrain.com/) ...an old, old, steam engine that pulls bright yellow/orange cars, and a red caboose. It blew the whistle and Kaden got SO excited. It was so perfect. His uncle "BUD" (my brother John-Isaac) has LOVED trains since he was a year old, and now works on the train in the summer-time. Maybe Kaden will have that same love, we'll see. It was so cute to see a little boy's eyes light up with delight.




Someday this teeny boy will be reaching down to hold my hand. I am sure that time will come faster than I want it to. When I catch myself doing things that don't matter and are not worth my time, I have to think about how time really does fly and I only have THIS time once. I know that is corny, but so true.


GET READY....
Get Set....

GO!!!!!!
THIS, is hilarious. They make the EXACT same expressions...cracks me up. They are such wonderful buddies. I am so sad that the pictures didn't turn out very well. I had my camera on the wrong setting...oh well. I guess it's not like we don't have a million other pictures of us playing at the park!

When I look at pictures of Matt and Kaden together, or watch them interact, I am reminded of the Rodney Atkins song that I just LOVE. Matt loves it too and everytime it comes on he sings along and says that it reminds him of his relationship with Kaden. I am so glad he thinks of this and I know that our son is watching us and learning from us. I just hope and pray that we are doing things right!

Watching You....Rodney Atkins
Driving through town just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn't have the toy
Till his nuggets were gone

Green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my breaks and mumbled under my breath
His fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap

Well then my four year old said a four letter word
That started with "s" and I was concerned
So I said son now where did you learn to talk like that


He said I've been watching you dad, ain't that coolI'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah we're just alike, hey ain't we dad
I wanna do everything you doSo I've been watching you

We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said lord please help me help my stupid self


Then this side of bedtime later that night
Turning on my son's scooby doo nightlight
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands

And spoke to god like he was talking to a friend
And I said son where'd you learn to pray like that

He said I've been watching you dad, ain't that coolI'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We like fixing things and holding mama's hand
Yeah we're just alike, hey ain't we dad I wanna do everything you do
So I've been watching you

With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug
Said my little bear is growing up
He said but when I'm big I'll still know what to do


Cause I've been watching you dad, ain't that coolI'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
Then I'll be as strong as superman
We'll be just alike, hey won't we dad
When I can do everything you do

Cause I've been watching you