a glimpse of caden's emotions :(

it's time for bed, it's a normal nite, except daddy's working late--which is infact normal. the other 3 are brushing teeth, choosing books etc. then i hear the sniffles and a big ol "booooo hoooo hooo, i missssss daddy!!!" i start to comfort him and the sadness is settling in fast. daddy happened to call so i quickly put the phone to Caden's ear. i figured that would pull him through. it did not help. caden continued for a few minutes and i (being the blog conscious mom, wanted to grab the camera) since i saw this was not going to let up. he left the room saying he had to "see the pictures of him". i follow him ready to snap the shot. he looked at the beach pictures that are up in my room. the sobs continue, we all pitch in to nurture him. kendra's sweeping his face. they all look out the window to await his arrival. good thing he pulled up after this 15 minute ordeal. my little caden so so very tender. his heart and his mind continue to amaze me. he is a wonder but a delight. to think he didn't even create his own thoughts a year ago, showing this emotional connection (with a flare of the dramatic) thrills me as his mommy.

holy birthday BATMAN!!

his day started with "birthday eggs", and green slime cupcakes for preschool. raylee sent him off with big hugs for a great birthday. his dinner menu for the batman party was: orange juice, dad's bbq chicken, my pasta salad, green jello, corn and batman birthday brownies with green sprinkles. we enjoyed the brownie bowl--good choice brady! family and his bff Shea (and her fam) arrived, ate dinner, had brownies, and opened the presents. he had to wear the ironman mask immediately. silly boy. then it was pinata time--a great gift idea from uncle ryan and audrey. violence and candy--always top children's entertainment. it was a HOOT! some hitters were scarier than others and at the end brady got to jump and attack the pirate. all in all it was a great time, its so fun to watch him be super excited to be 5 years old. couple memories were: brady insisting on his bff sitting in a barstool next to him for the cake ceremony, noisemaker mayheim in the garage, and brady sneaking way too much candy, and totally rejecting kendra's homemade walkie talkies-- "NO! i wanted REAL walkie talkies BAHBAH!" Then after it was all done, him asking, "where's more presents?". hmmm the greed is luckily still cute at this age, his dimples helped too.

Brady boy is 5 today!

oh my goodness five years ago the agony I was in. jared and i decided to wait to find out the gender of this 3rd child. it's a good thing we kept the happy news for the delivery room because he was a BEAR to get out. pacing the hospital halls, being sent home, returning and once in labor being put in a sound proof room--all made for a thrilling birth story--100% oh-nat-u-ral birth by the way, not really my choice. this 7 pound baby boy definetly made up for it with his dimples and his killer grin. no matter who he is with, he manages to steal peoples' hearts. i can't exactly pinpoint it, but this little dude has got something special. brady you crack us up, make us wonder what you're saying, marvel at your daddy alikeness and WE JUST LOVE YA TO BITS. happy birthday my very funny little guy.

mommy-daughter-grannie weekend getaway

kendra, grannie annie and i have been waiting for megan's baptism trip forever--it seems. it lived up to our expectations and more. kendras first plane ride (that she can remember) went just fine then we were greeted with this lovely sign, goodies and great plans for the 2 1/2 day trip to Washington. after a hilarious lunch out with shannon we went to their home and played (andrew was a cat the whole trip--too funny), danced, laughed and enjoyed jeffies soup for dinner. the ladies then headed for our night out. the girls got spoiled and we had a great time spoiling them. everything Panda & jewelery! saturday was the big day for my niece, with a tasty start of roly-polys for breakfast--family tradition. we attended her beautiful baptism, it was quaint, super spiritual, and PERFECT. 12 years ago jeff baptised Shan, and now she watched him baptise their daughter. everyone was touched and we were so grateful and lucky to be there and be part of it. megan's cute politeness always makes me smile. when she recieved her gifts, it was no different. we all celebrated by eating our weight at Red Robin (a first for me). they know jeffie by name there and took great care of us. swimming at grandma & papa's was where we spent the afternoon. we capped it off with my dad's amazing chicken and WAY TOO MUCH laughing and reminiscing over photo albums. of course we are more than fatigue, could be due to all the delicious food. highlights from this trip are: dj laur giving out awesome cds, lullabying andrew with spongebob theme song, oh the eating, chipotle and gnocci, and my gut bursting jokes about chewbacca and helmet head--early nineties hair styles is all i need to say about that. food, family, fun, more food and a fantastic moment in my niece's life made for the PERFECT little getaway.