I love the independence!

A few pictures since it's been a while.

Yeah, you guessed it...

We're pregnant! FINALLY!!! It only took 10 months to happen!

I am almost 11 weeks along and feeling very sick. Just like last time, I feel nauseous all the time unless I am asleep. Mostly I spend my days laying on the couch watching movies with Cade... it's not THAT bad for him... right??? ;)   Hoping the sickness doesn't last as long as it did last time, but I'm guessing I won't be that lucky :) 

Anyway, we are very excited and can't wait! Cade keeps asking about it and then goes on to tell me that my tummy will get "big, big, big" (with arms out in front of his stomach) and that when it comes out he can hold it like his little cousin Hay Hay :)

Recap with pictures, but not much explanation

NOTE: Started this post in April. So when I finally posted it last week, Brandi told me it showed as posting in April. So here it is again in case no one saw it.

As many of you know, we have been super busy with my newer job and Brandi's full time school, internship, and mother duties. So therefore you haven't really seen anything in the past, oh, forever. Well, in June, she graduated so you would think things would lighten up... So I (Darren) thought I'd at least post some pictures, even if there isn't much time to explain them all. Hope you enjoy!

Hot tub and a trampoline in the snow...

Cade's attempt to walk in the snow

Let's just say he had a tough time going to sleep with this stiff hair.

Cade loves being Bob the Builder.

A Cade cookie from Aunt Amelia for his birthday.

Cade's second birthday.

Cade loves to play with tools and to help daddy "fix it".

Cade in my old wrestling singlet from Rose Hill Jr. High.

Such a proud moment in any dad's life. I had to get a picture.

And then there's the not-so-proud moments in a dad's life...

Cade's favorite art project so far, a marshmallow clover.

Family Pictures

So for Christmas Darren's entire family was here and, therefore, we spent most of our time at his parents house (my family may have hated me a little bit...). It was amazing, by the way! On one of the days, Darren's mom's friend came over to get pictures of everyone (what a sweetie!). Unfortunately, Darren doesn't know how to look normal in front of a camera and he won't let me post any family pictures because they all turned out so horrible! So this is the best we got :)  The ones of Cade actually turned out pretty cute though! I don't have all the pictures, but here are a few of the ones I loved.

Ok, I know I am a little biased, but could our son be any cuter?? Every day he gets funnier and is more and more fun to be around. He has such a funny personality. I wish I was better about blogging all of the cute things he does, but alas I suck. I wonder if I'll be any better when I'm done with school.... doubtful. But I have high hopes :) 

Just as a quick update on Cade, he will be two next month. 

He repeats everything we say and anything he hears (he always repeats things he hears on movies... guess I have to start being careful about what I watch around him!)

He is ALL boy. Cars and airplanes are his favorite things right now. I think he would probably be content playing with them all day long

He loves singing songs he is learning in nursery. Among his favorites are Head, shoulders, knees and toes, Once there was a snowman, Popcorn popping, and any song about rain

His favorite shows are Elmo and any Baby Einstein

We spend most of our time chasing each other, tickling, and banging our heads on the couch while making funny noises

His favorite foods are noodles with parmesan cheese and cereal with milk

We make him do "The Candy Dance" any time he wants to get candy (unfortunately now he comes up to  us dancing and saying "candy dance" any time he feels like candy and it's so cute that I almost give in every time)

We found him playing make believe with his teddy bear in the morning and realized that this is the reason he is content in his crib and let's us sleep in

He hates getting dirty

He sucks on his fingers when he is shy

He is ALWAYS getting into our bedside table drawers and getting things he shouldn't. Any time he does this, he hides these items (like chap stick, hand sanitizer, etc.) behind his back and walks sideways past us with an evil smirk on his face

He prefers galloping to running or walking

He's putting more and more sentences together every day

He is growing much to fast and I can't wait to be done with school so I can spend more time with him!

Anyways, sorry for the long and very random post, but I had to write a couple things down about our adorable son before he grows out of this cute stage of his life and I forget all the little things he does that I just love about him.

Guess what...

We're moving!!! We definitely weren't planning on everything happening so quickly, but we had an opportunity that we really couldn't pass up. We'll be moving to the Bothell/Woodinville area and we are so excited! We're not there yet, but will be soon! Here's a little sneak peak of our future home:

It really is a bitter-sweet move for us. We really love the area and ward that we are in.  There have been a few people in particular that have had a life-long impact on our family, and we can't thank them enough.  It's also been very nice to be so close to family.  It's going to make my life crazy living further away during school and I will probably spend the majority of my time in the car dropping Cade off, going to school, picking him up, and then heading home. But I'm hoping to graduate in June so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We'll definitely miss being where we are now, but are excited for the new adventures ahead!

Proud to be an American

I couldn't believe this video when I saw it. Here is what I couldn't believe:

1. That a school would tell a child to remove the American flag from his bike.

2. That the reason for removal was for the safety of the 13 yr old boy.

3. That this country has gotten to the point where it is possible for someone to be offended by someone else raising an American flag in the very country in which they reside and enjoy it's freedoms.

4. That not only could someone be offended, but that they would go as far as to inflict physical or emotional harm to another human because of their patriotism.

They take the display of patriotism for this country as pride and as a personal offense to them, a way of saying our country is better than theirs. Well, guess what, they are correct to some degree! Countless brave men and women have sacrificed everything, including their lives to make it this way. If this wasn't the greatest nation on earth, why do people keep flocking here? People risk their lives every day to get into this country to enjoy it's freedoms. But it is very simple to get out if they are offended by the way things are here.

Anyone living within the boundaries of this country who is offended by the principles upon which this great nation was founded: Shut up or leave. There are plenty of other countries you can live in that don't have these principles and values we have here in the USA. Let me be clear that I understand not everyone has the same beliefs and might not agree with everything this nation has to offer in terms of its founding principles. Be that as it may, if you choose to stay here, deal with it. And don't look down upon or act on hatred toward anyone who is proud of this country and displaying it publicly.

-Darren

Vacations

So things have been crazy for the past (almost) two months. The week before my summer finals, Darren's sister Kandi and her girls came up to Washington (Carson joined toward the end). Naturally, we stayed at Darren's parents house the entire time they were there :) Can you blame us?? So we were there for about a week and a half. It was so much fun! We got to watch movies, do puzzles, and let the kids play all the time. They may have even had as much fun as we did! It all ended very quickly of course (which happened to be the day before my finals).

I finished finals and left two days later to go visit my sister Brooke and her family in Texas! It was my first time flying with Cade alone. He did great. I totally drugged him though (with some benedryl) and it made him act kind of weird. But he also slept, so that was good. We were there for 10 days and it was amazing! We got to meet my adorable new nephew Spencer and play with Kate and Sadie! Cade was acting weird pretty much the whole time we were there though, so it was a major let down. Hopefully next time they see him he won't be out of his element and they can see that he actually is a fun, sweet little boy! ;) Thanks Brooke and Brent for letting us come down and stay with you! Brooke, thanks for all the movies and laughs. I can't wait to spend more time with you next time I see you!!! Here are a couple pictures from the trip. Turns out that I only took like 7 pictures and most were of the same thing, trying to get a good one. Sorry for the bad documentation.

Cade and Sadie playing

Darren and Cade bonding when we got back home. See Darren, he DID remember you :)

I came home to an impeccably clean house, free patio furniture that Darren picked up from the Lytle's, a free swing set from someone Darren rides the bus with, a new Macbook Pro for my schoolwork, and a certificate for prepaid lazer hair removal for the mustache I have developed since being pregnant with Cade!!! Do I have the sweetest husband in the world or what?? Oh how I love you Darren. Thanks for everything! You are the best! 

I was home for 3 days and then Darren and I left for Destin. Our wonderful parents split the 10 days and took Cade for us. We can't thank them enough! We actually first flew in to Altanta to meet up with Brittany and Ryan. We stayed at their house for the night and left the next morning for Destin, Florida. When we got there, it was raining. It also rained the next day. However, the days after that were beautiful. Because of the bad weather in the beginning, we were able to get a couple days of good waves on the beach which was lots of fun. Our days consisted of sleeping in, eating breakfast, going to the beach, ending the day at the pool, getting ready and either heading into town to explore and eat, or staying in the condo to read (well, at least for Britt and I) and play the wii (for the boys of course) or watch a movie. It was glorious. We even got a special treat one day when Megan came over to visit and play with us. Thanks Megan and Aaron for coming! It was so fun to see you guys!!!

Darren is the master at sand castles. His current obsession is old VW beetles. So why not make one in the sand??

We went to the same spot on the beach every day. It was glorious.

Pineapple Willy's

Precious! :)

Is she the most beautiful pregnant lady or what??

Girlfriends

Yeah... we're dorks

So anyways, as you can see, it was amazing. We loved it! Thanks so much Ryan and Brittany for coming with us! It wouldn't have been the same without you!

When we got back, we realized how much a little guy can change in 10 days. It was very sad, but also very exciting to see how much older Cade seemed. He truly grew up so much while we were gone it was insane. I'm trying to think of specific things (for example, he is now walking up and down the stairs without help), but I can't really... I think he just SEEMS older. He's talking more, and just acting more and more like a kid. It's weird, but amazingly cute and fun. OH, and as a side note, he pooped in the toilet for the first time yesterday! We are so proud of him! He's been telling me when he's poopy for a while now, but recently, he's started telling me "poopy" BEFORE he poops. So we put him on the pot... and nothing happened... until 10 minutes later when his diaper was back on. BUT later that day he tried again and it was a success! He got an M&M :) Very thrilling stuff, and I'm sure you all were wondering about our child's bodily functions...

Anyways, four days after we got home, we went camping with the Litchfields at my favorite camp spot Lincoln Rock. I must say, it was a little weird not going with the Beesons, but it was fun to experience it in a different way. I'm not sure that we convinced them it is the best place in the world. Maybe next time we'll have to go when it's actually good weather :) We have some pretty fun pictures from the trip, but they are not on my computer yet and, let's face it, I will not blog about it later. So, sorry!

Well, I start school on Monday. Last year baby! So it may be a while before you hear from me again, but ya never know :)

Post that I wrote almost two months ago and am finally posting...

Ok ok, I know that we suck. I'm not going to try to catch up because that would be insane. I have been putting this off for SOO long, but Darren brought up a good point the other night. He said we haven't even posted about Cade walking. Which happened FOREVER ago! And so I feel terrible! He is so cute and fun to be with and I probably should be documenting all the adorable things that he does, but I don't. I will, however, mention a few things and post a few pictures of what has been going on in our lives.

I am obviously still in school. Yes, even right now during the Summer. I go Monday through Thursday so that keeps me fairly busy. And when I get home I either have a headache (from my photoshop class) or I can't move my arms (from my furniture design and construction class) so all I want to do is relax. I try to spend my free time (once Cade is asleep) watching a movie, reading, or doing nothing. I'm just doing it while I can before real school starts again in September :)

Now that you have read about my really exciting life, I will inform you all about or cute little boy! He took a while to start walking, but made up for it in the language area. He says lots of words and has been for a very long time. Here is a list of things to make reading this long post a little easier:

Things Cade does:
Walks
Runs
Spins around in circles
Plays with rocks and dirt
Blows bubbles (with a little help from me)
TICKLES - probably his favorite thing to do. He even started tickling Darren the other night while he was half asleep and with his eyes closed :)
Plays T-ball and our pop-a-shot
Climbs and goes down our little plastic slide with no help from us
Waits at the top of the stairs to hold our hand
Sniffs flowers
Grabs and looks at books on the couch by himself

There are tons more but I think I'll spare you :)

Words he says:
Ball (I'm fairly sure this was his first real word and his absolute favorite thing in the world - any kind of ball. Seriously, he spots them from a mile away and points them out to us)
Balloon
Bubbles
Doggie
Crackers
Hot dog
Apple
Up and down
All done
Hi
Bye
Peek-a-boo (which he pronounces picky-boo)
Basketball (When asked "What's your favorite sport?" he replies with this)
Chicken
Milk
So these are some of the words he says on his own. He will also repeat (or try to) almost any word we say. Cade also makes animal noises. The ones he can do currently are moo, neigh, baa, meow, rar, ooo-ahh ooo-ahh (which is his version of a monkey), woof-woof, tweet-tweet, and my two favorites are fishy (popping his lips) and bunny (scrunching his nose and sniffing in and out).

So now that you know more about my child than you probably wanted to, here are some pictures. Hopefully we'll be at least a LITTLE better about posting... fat chance :)

Fourth of July - Kids fireworks :)

Cade loves flowers and loves his Aunt Amelia

Birthday Dinner... yeah... this was June... I said we were behind!

Cade falls and hits his head a lot. This particular incident was with the corner of a wall

Cade and his cousin Brooklyn love to play together

Oh I just love this little boy!