Caden's 5th Birthday

Where did the last 5 years go? I can't believe our sweet little Caden is already 5. With the craziness of being out of town, we planned on taking the birthday easy. We were going to invite a few friends over to play, have family over for cake and ice cream that night, and keep it pretty low key. Well, Caden woke up that morning and wanted to know when his pump it up party was.? Last year we reanted a jump house for the backyard, but no go this year. I explained to him we were just going ot have a few friends over, but we came up with a back up plan. Apparently at the local pump it up party place, you can rent the facility for 1 1/2 hour for around $200...um, no. Fortunately today they have open hours that we can just drop in and pay $6 per child. So, we decided to take a couple of friends and head over. I was worried about being there late, having it already full, and not knowing what to do then. Well, we got there, nobody else was there, and we had the whole place to ourselves for all of $18...so glad I didn't rent it for $200 for the same thing:) The kids had a blast, I think we totally wore them out, and only had a few bumps and bruises.
Notice the tears in the next picture...of course they had to bonk heads on the one that I was taking a picture of. Tough boys though, they just shook it off.We had cake and ice cream with the cousins. I didn't know that kids could make so much noise. I'm sure our neighbors wondered what was going on, but at least no one got hurt.
Happy Birthday Caden!!! We love you!

Cadenism

I'm terrible at journaling, so this is my way of writing down things I don't ever want to forget. Caden has such an imagination, and some of the things he says surprise me. The other day he asked who the person is that lost their voice. I was a little confused but thought he must be talking about Little Mermaid. I'm not sure why I thought that b/c he's only seen it a couple of times, but it's the first thing that popped in my mind. I told him Ariel from Little Mermaid, and he told me, "No mom, it's the Holy Ghost". A little confused I asked what he meant and he started singing "Listen to the STEAL small voice, listen listen" I'm not sure how he put it all together, but he figured the Holy Ghost had his voice stolen.

Everyone needs a Caden

I know, I know - it's been a long time. There is a reason behind that, which I won't go into, but there is a reason. Nonetheless, I want to brag on my little Caden this go around. Everyone needs a Caden in their home. He is the wittiest, spunkies, sweetest, smartest little guy. Here are just a few examples:

Today we were headed out run some errands. Caden said from the back of the car "Mom, will you show dad where my pre-school is?" To which Ryan replied "Caden have you forgotten that I have picked you up before?" Caden just disregarded what his dad had said, and continued to tell us it is where the red finger is.?.?.? I wondered myself what that could mean, thinking of possible Halloween decorations at nearby houses, that's about all the further I could get in trying to figure out what the red finger meant. As he's telling us about the red finger, I look at him and he is pointing to the left with his index finger extending out and back. As we get to the street where we would normally turn, sure enough, a sign right on the corner for a property for sale. A big red hand with a red finger pointing that direction. Oh, the things he notices.

Speaking of pre-school, while we were on our way home from it the other day, Caden pointed out a big American flag next to our church. He said "Hey that's our flag". I thought I would teach him a little something and tell him it is for the United States of America. He then proceeded to recite the entire pledge of allegiance, start to finish, without missing a beat. Who knew he knew that? I sure didn't. I laughed so hard listening to his little voice say big words like allegiance, republic, indivisible. I ask him every day what he learns about pre-school and we only get as far as snack time, washing our hands and playing outside. Glad to know he is actually learning.

Finally, we have a little tradition around here that I hope never goes. Each night at bed time, he asks if I will lay down with him so he can brush my hair! I love that!!! Not only is it a little bit of heaven to have my hair played with so long, but he asks so many questions and it is fun to watch his mind think and absorb so much.

Boys vs. Girls

There really is a difference between boys and girls. I am reminded of it every day as I watch Caden and Avery play. I notice the separation more and more as the kids get older and Avery gets more and more independent. As the pictures show, Caden gets bumps, bruises and picks at his scabs. Avery carries purses (which she didn't learn from me), tries on shoes, wears head bands (not me either) and talks on the phone (okay, I'll take credit for that one).

Avery being all girl. She looks like this most days, getting ready all by herself. Notice the purse, 2 headbands, and most importantly - the cell phone to the ear.Caden showing his bumps, bruises and scabs.
Caden going to bed as a super-hero.

Caden's 4th Birthday

For Caden's 4th Birthday, we made it a special one for him. He's put up with a lot this year with a new sister that wasn't always easy. Basically, Ryan and I had something we wanted to do for him, so we justified our way into it. We got him a jump house for the whole day. Surprisingly, they weren't as expensive as I had anticipated, but certainly worth every penny of entertainment it brought. I think it was the best day of his little life. He had a friend party with 6 or 7 little boys from the ward, and then a family party at night. It was a fun day of friends, family and memories.

A few of the cousins that came

Caden (in orange) and his little buddies