Time Flies...

A couple of weeks ago, I ventured over to one of my FAVORITE children's stores while Caden was at school and LOW AND BEHOLD... there was a DEAL to be had. If I spent a certain amount of money in the store (which is NEVER hard to do), I received a FREE photo sitting with a professional photographer and a FREE 8X10 to go along with it!

SOLD!

We have never taken Caden to a REAL, fancy schmancy studio professional photographer... SO I was PUMPED about this opportunity and knew I couldn't pass it up!!

So about three weeks ago, on one of the WORST public outings Caden and I have EVER had together, we went in for his photo shoot! He was in MELTDOWN mode from the moment we walked in the door until we walked back out. It was BAD!! I drove home in a mix of emotions... part of me was sad and crying and the other part of me was angry and FUMING! Mostly, I was embarrassed. So I wasn't too sure how his pictures would turn out, but it was a free sitting so what did I really lose, other than my sanity?! Thankfully, not a pricey SITTING fee! :) So by the next day I was able to laugh it off and say... "small stuff... just small stuff!" Just pictures... there will be more...

And that brings us to today... my viewing of Caden's portraits! I had been given the price list at the photo shoot and had been SET in my mind and in my SOUL on what I was planning to order so as NOT to spend an extravagant amount of money on photos! And besides... I really wasn't expecting TOO much from these... if they were terrible I thought I could redo the shoot on my own and they'd be fine...

BUT let me tell y'all a little secret! The REASON people pay HUNDREDS of dollars for these professional photo shoots/photographers is because they are GOOD/GREAT/WONDERFUL at what they do. They can take a child in FULL on meltdown mode and make him look like an angel! And an angel is indeed what we have captured on film!!

From the moment I sat down in the proofing chair and she pulled up my file I was overwhelmed with happiness... at first glance the tears started coming. I was blown away. THEN as if to add insult to injury, she put on a SUPER SAPPY song about a child growing up and us wanting to remember these days as they are while we watched his slideshow... SHE HAD ME AT HELLO!!! I was SOBBING... big fat, tears... SNOTTING, wiping, patting, blotting... I was wearing my sucker sticker and was PROUD OF IT!! My boy was beautiful!!

I slapped her leg and said, "How dare you do this to a pregnant woman?!!" I mean I would have cried regardless, but OH MY GOODNESS... it was just terrible and WONDERFUL all at the same time! And so... I walked out of there with my Mother's Day present... and maybe a little bit of my birthday present too!

AND I am the proud owner of the following SIX digital files of a moment captured in time! My little man... the sweestest boy in the whole world!! The entire experience was ironic really... the worst he's ever acted gave me some of the BEST keepsakes and memories I'll treasure for a LIFETIME!

I can't believe that HE is mine...

I hope you enjoy these as much as I am... sans tears, of course! :)

26 Weeks DOWN... 14 Left... Can that be RIGHT?!

I have been B-A-D with the Kaki updates this time around... it's true isn't it??!! Your second child really does get the shaft?! I'm so sorry sweet Kaki... although I promise to make up for it with LOTS of cute pics of you when you grace us with your presence here in a few months...

That's right... I said a few months... my pregnancy ticker on my iPhone told me this morning that I had 14 weeks left... that's like the first trimester?! CRAZY! I can't believe how old she's getting! I am DEFINITELY NOT READY to see her anytime soon, so don't get any ideas Kaki-pants... you just keep on keepin' on in there!

Little Miss is still be-boppin' around all day long... I would dare to say that she is even more active that her big brother was... and she is certainly feeling stronger with each passing day! Speaking of her sweet big bro... he felt Kaki move again last night and since then has come up and placed his chubby little hand on my belly numerous times completely unprompted! He loves feelin' his lil sis! As far as I can tell he is understanding all that he possibly can about being a big bro... AND it's super exciting to watch his chest puff up and his crooked little smile try not to show when we talk to him about how GREAT he will be at being Kaki's big brother! I think he is ready for the challenge!

You'll have to pardon the pics from tonight... I have been MAJORLY suffering from allergies over the past few weeks and they are getting the BEST of me... my nose is raw, my eyes are puffy, my hair is greasy (wait... that doesn't have anything to do with my allergies...ha!)... you get the idea... ROUGH, doesn't quite describe it. BUT this is real life, right?! And I figured y'all could all use an ego-boost... :) Did it work?!!

Here is my 26 week pic with Caden... obviously it was a DIFFERENT time of year... hence the fading summer tan vs. my whitey-white skin tone I'm sportin' right now... BRING ON THE SUN!!

Although, I must tell you that last week was a bit of a rude awakening... when Caden and I were on a walk it was a mere 75 degrees outside and I was SWEATIN' it out... made me a bit nervous what June/July could bring! :) Ha!! My extra insulation sure does seem to make a difference! Or it's those hormones or somethin'... I'm gonna have to start carrying a sweat towel... be warned! :)

So I think Kaki and I look about the same as Caden and I did... what do y'all think? I can tell you that if I were to show you a FRONTAL shot comparison you'd notice a difference since I am carrying Kaki a bit wider, but from the side we're lookin' like we're pretty much in the same spot! :)

As Justin put it so kindly the other day, "You know, when you were pregnant with Caden I could never tell from the back, BUT with Kaki, I can TOTALLY tell!"

And he wonders why I haven't put up his laundry, YET?! :)

Ah, well... he meant well! If wider, puffier, jigglier, uglier means a HAPPY, HEALTHY baby girl and a HAPPY, HEALTHY Mommy... then BRING IT ON!! Let's get (KEEP) growin! :)

I figured my BUMP pics weren't all THAT exciting... BUT this next pic DEFINITELY is... a sneak peek into Kaki's room... the art series that my SWEET, TALENTED, DEAREST friend Casey Wiegand, painted for her room! I AM IN LOVE!!! She did a series for Caden's room too... I can't wait to show it to y'all! We are SUPER excited that our kiddos are going to be Casey Wiegand art collectors too! :)

Happy Monday y'all!!

Got Worms...?

Well, we didn't have any worms! At least not the real kind... AND Bop wasn't too happy about that! Sweet Bop wanted Caden to be assured a "catch" on his first trip out with his FANCY new fishing pole, but we assured him that the experience was ALL that mattered to Caden. He had been looking forward to using his new pole since he got it in Waco a few weeks ago. Thankfully, Bop and Nana are keeping Caden's new pole at their house, so we don't have to fight the DAILY "let's go fishin' battle!" I mean I love fishin' as much as the next girl... but... :)

Yesterday, Nana, Bop and the fishing pole came down for the day to see the Chade-man! The highlight of the DAY was our trip to the pond to do some fishing! Each time we asked Caden who was coming to see him this weekend, he made sure to include his "fipping pole" on the list of those who would be in attendance! :) His pole is like a new friend...

So on an uncharacteristically HOTT day for March we loaded up and walked down the street to the pond! Caden was sure to hold his rod the ENTIRE way! :)

Once we got there we got to it!!

Bop got us started and then Caden took over! The rod is a BIG BOY rod... Bop didn't want Caden to have to waste his time with a silly Snoopy rod like Justin had when he was a kid... so Caden had quite a job on his hands! :)

He looks so natural in the pics... but I can assure you that in person he was a little less impressive! :) It's hard work navigating that big rod... ha!

THIS IS MY FAV PIC from the day... the three Cox men... hanging out... waiting for a bite!!

A close up...
OH LOOK!! We GOT SOMETHING!!

MOSS!!! YAY!!! Caden didn't seem to like the look of the moss that he caught and high-tailed it back a few yards while Bop cleaned it off... He found a blanket in the bottom of the stroller and decided to spread it out and get some sun! :) Now that's my favorite part about fishin'! :)

And then Bop went on a real worm search... and Nana and Caden followed! And then they came back to home base...
As you can see by the rosy cheeks it was a HOT one, so it didn't take long for us all to want to pack it up and head back! And for Caden and his two second attention span, he was more than pleased with the outcome of his first fishing outing with Bop, even if they didn't make the BIG catch! :)

Caden and Bop carried the pole ALL the way home... teamwork! Bop and Caden made it back to the house several minutes after the rest of us... they had some male bonding to do on the walk home I suppose! :) Or maybe Caden's little legs were a bit tired... either way Caden had a GREAT time fishing with Nana and Bop!

Thanks Bop for thinking of our little man and buying him his VERY FIRST "fipping pole." He loves it and YOU very much! And you too Nana! Of course, I think you BOTH should know that by now... especially after the MANY "I love you, Nanas and Bops" you got yesterday! :)

Thanks for coming to spend the day in the Rock with us! We always enjoy having you here!

Next up... Kaki turns 26 weeks and I go into the double digits... 99 days to go... ! Hard to believe it!

Happy weekend y'all!!

Paying it Backward

(I'm gonna get a bit serious on y'all today... I don't want to miss the opportunity to share a sweet encounter I had today... bear with me... Caden and his antics will be back up soon enough!! And of course more on my sweet Kaki too!)

I was twice blessed today in the Starbucks' drive-thru line when the cashier happily announced that the man in front of me had covered my drink for the day. I sat there awestruck for a moment as she continued to tell me that the man in front of him had paid for his drink and so he decided to the same. So, I thought for a mere second and blurted out, "Well, then, I'll do the same too!" The cashier seemed surprised and offered a nice sentiment of thanks and I drove away in tears! Happy TEARS...streaming down my face tears!

I KNOW what you are all thinking, "well, of course you were in tears... you are Katie and you are pregnant!" True! But pregnant or not I was moved by the thought of people... LINES of people... "Paying it Backward" in the Starbucks' drive-thru in little 'ol Georgetown, TX. I wondered how long it would last? Was I third in the chain? I wondered had the two men in front of me known each other, was it a friend treating a friend type of gesture? Or was it simply something nice to do for a fellow coffee-lover? I will never know and I suppose the reason doesn't really matter because its impact has been profound.

Ah, there is always so much more to glean from life's simplest blessings isn't there? God has so much to teach us and so much to share, and often it is in the minutia of life where he decides to impart a most tender piece of wisdom.

I've been thinking about this all day... I knew there was something bigger than a "free" cup of coffee for me and I didn't want to miss it! Oh I would hate to miss a lesson from a blessing... so much easier than learning lessons from consequences, AMEN?!! :) I realized that in their gestures, the two men in front of me were exhibiting goodness and compassion and perhaps even a bit of mercy as we ALL know how high those lattes are priced! I do not know the character of either of these men outside of this one meeting, but I am assured by the promises of God that they were created for goodness and whether or not they are men that acknowledge that truth, they still, in a split-second decision, in a busy drive-thru line chose to show goodness, compassion and mercy!!

And by golly if WE, the fallen man, can show goodness to our neighbors, who may or may not have even been our friends, then how much greater should the goodness, compassion and mercy that God chooses to pour out on us make us feel?! I'll tell you... It should makes us want to stand up, dance, shout and raise that hot cup of coffee straight up into the air in praise and thanksgiving to a God who chooses US!

And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on those whom I will choose to have mercy, and I will have compassion on those whom I will choose to have compassion."

Exodus 33:18-20

He chooses to love us and he chose, the day He put Jesus on the cross, to have mercy, the sweetest most compassionate form of mercy on our souls. He conquered death for our sakes and He poured out His loving kindness and His overwhelming goodness onto the world, giving us the similar CHOICE to accept His sweetest offering.

In accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord we are given the ability to see the goodness in life as if it is poured out like a hot cup of coffee right in front of us, regardless of our circumstances. We have the gift of hope and we have the security of a promise that the Lord indeed CHOSE us!

I am thankful for the opportunity to see people choose goodness today and I am hopeful that the chain of goodness continued to get passed back and back and back again... maybe it will make it through the line ALL day, maybe it only made it a few more cars, but my hope is that it made it to someone who in the trenches of life saw a glimmer of hope and a spark of goodness that will sustain them through the next "high priced coffee" they encounter. We've all got our "high priced coffees," they come at us from all angles of life, BUT remember... we've always got a CHOICE... choose hope, choose goodness, choose mercy, choose gratitude, choose Jesus!

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:13-14

A-YEEN!! Here we come... (or came...)

This weekend the Cox Family Circus hit the road once again and headed out West where the wind blows and the tumbleweeds tumble... "To A-YEEN, MOMMY!!! To A-YEEN, DADDY!" Yes, sir Caden to A-YEEN we are a goin' and in A-YEEN we'll be a staying for TWO DAYS! Hurray!

Our trip was like Thanksgiving in March... everyone ended up being in town except for Josh and Emily! In fact, we tried to convince Uncle Josh to drive over from Nac for the weekend to play with family since Aunt Emily had fun girly plans... but he turned us down for the golf course! :( Can you imagine? Turning down a crazy house full of Whitakers for a nice, peaceful weekend on the golf course?! I never will understand it! :) We missed you Josh and Em!

Justin, Caden and I were in Abilene for a very specific purpose... to pick up Kaki's super CUTE PINK furniture that my Aunt Martha and Gram had purchased months ago in hopes that Kaki would in fact be a girl... if she weren't a sweet little bundle of pink, KK was going to use the furniture in a room in her house, BUT bonus... we both got to take a few pieces of it home! Of course there will be pictures to come of all the PINK! :)

Plenty of other occasions brought us all together as well... My Gram's birthday, which isn't until April was celebrated, we all got to check out my cousin Michelle's BEAUTIFUL new home which was part of the Parade of Homes in Abilene this weekend, AND the school age kids of our group were all home from college on Spring Break, so it was FANTASTIC timing to say the least!!

When we arrived on Friday evening the boys went straight to it... a "C-man" reunion...

And of course they were both up to NO good! I have no doubt that in a few more years, heck MONTHS these two will define an entirely new meaning to "keeping us on our toes!!" BUT, they really are BOTH the sweetest boys!! EVER! Not that we're biased!!

See I told you they are sweet... look at those chubby-armed hugs!!

After dinner on Friday we sang a ROUSING rendition of the Happy Birthday Song to Gram, who oddly enough is turning THREE this year! :) Guess we were a little low on candles... or we were afraid the smoke detector might go off if we put 'em ALL in! :) Just kiddin' Gram! You still look not a day older than 18!

Isn't that the sweetest group of Whitaker smiles you've ever seen?! And not a ONE of them looks like the other... it's a darn shame really... who knows if they are really even blood related... I think a DNA test might need to be considered!

After all of the singing we broke into the ITALIAN CREAM CAKE goodness that was my Gram's birthday cake... oh my, was it good! So good that on Sunday night when we got home I was KICKING myself for refusing to take a few slices home for myself and for Kaki, of course! Kicking myself!! But when Gram is involved, I can be assured that she'll be pulling out of the freezer the next time we're all there and I'll get to have my piece... :)

BUT when I downloaded my TWO pictures that I took from the weekend (all others you are enjoying are courtesy of our family photog for the weekend, Boozy (Cy's mommy)) I realized that it was clearly divine intervention when I refused the cake... Kaki is getting BIG and so is her Momma! Whooo-wheee...

Of course, I realize the XL Men's T-Shirt I am wearing more like a tunic isn't all that flattering, BUT BOY is it ever comfy!! And that is all that matters right?! It was a casual Saturday around Abilene! Saturday morning we spent some time with my Uncle Roger and Aunt Kay on my Dad's side of the family. They actually live in the same house that my grandparents lived in before they passed in 2004. It is the house that I visited them in my entire childhood... and it holds very fond memories! AND according to Roger and Kay my grandparents have only recently vacated the premises... apparently their ghosts have been roaming the halls for the past few years! :) We poke fun, but I guess you never really do know what God and his angels are up to, and I assure you that both of my grandparents are some of God's best workers! :)

And on a completely other note...the older I get the more I am reminded how much I look like an Evans... bless my heart!!

I love the next pic... the brothers and their wives and CADEN, of course! :)

Roger and Kay took us to eat at the MOST FABULOUS Chinese food restaurant while we were there, in fact it is rated among the top 10 in America and that's right folks... #6 resides in Abilene, TX of all places! And boy was it ever good! I can't wait to go back!!

After lunch and little more visiting, we took the Chade back for a nap and relaxed at Gram's. KK graced me with a wonderful home pedicure complete with the one of the new Texas edition OPI colors... she could go into business... my feet look fantastic! Thanks Kk for pampering your girls! :)

Once Caden was done snoozin' the afternoon away we all loaded up and went to check out Michelle's house on the Parade of Homes route! Caden was excited to see these two when we got there...

CY... DEE!! He kept saying their names over and over again!!

And who could blame him... these two are quite an unforgettable pair! Wink! :)

After we checked out all of the fancy duds adorning Michelle's new home we went back to Martha's for some outside time... where Caden had his FIRST (and hopefully last) run in with the pool... he fell in... :( BUT thankfully, Rick (Cy's Daddy) was channeling David Hasselhoff and snatched him RIGHT up... he was only soaked from the waist down... now that's impressive! Thank you Rick... as Justin said, "I'll give you my next kid or my right arm... take your pick." Rick politely declined both, but asked for a cut of the profit if Caden ever did anything that made him some serious cash! We said...DEAL! :)

After a dip in the pool there is nothing better than a little air up the shorts to dry you out! Daddy was in route to get some dry clothes...

And this guy was still having a BLAST!! Look at that smile!!

Later, a solid purchase of three play balls for the boys earlier in the day made for LOTS of fun. The older boys had retired to the BIG TV to watch a little March Maddness, but what they didn't realize is that Caden and Cy were puttin' on quite a little show of their own! Their loss!

Lots of playin' and hoopin' can make a family hungry... so what's for dinner?! HAMBURGERS AND FRENCH FRIES of course! What a FUN way to end our trip to Abilene... the next morning there was lots of goodbyes and of course a FEVER for Caden, because I mean what's a trip to Abilene without a fever?!

Poor guy is STILL battling the same sinus infection that he had two weeks ago and after a trip to the doctor yesterday he has an ear infection too because one of his TUBES is making its way out... NOOOOO... AND after all of that, our WONDERFUL doctor decided it was time for us to take some action and get this poor boy some help... SO we are going to see one of Justin and I's favorite people... THE ALLERGIST!! We go next Friday! We are praying we can get some relief from our little allergy nerd! So much for breastfeeding for a year and having TWO dogs as a way to prevent allergies... doesn't count if you live in Austin, TX... the allergy capital of the WORLD!! It's true... okay well not sure about the world, but definitely the nation!!

Thanks for a GREAT trip Whitaker Clan... can't wait until we all meet again!! And thank you GRAM for putting up the Cox Family Circus for a few nights! We always appreciate your hospitality and your CHEESE grits! :)

Love you all!!

UPDATES...

Today, I went in for my 24 week check up for Miss Kaki... AND drum roll please... all is good! YAY! I am so thankful for every appointment that is uneventful! I talked to my doc about my "growing by the day" spider veins and got a refresher on the meds I can take for my stinkin' allergies and we called it a day! Next time I'll get to drink that yummy orange drink and give them a little blood and after that I'll start my EVERY TWO WEEK appointments... can that be right?!

Kaki is continuing to prove to be a feisty little thing and my mom and I were talking today about the possibility of her being a little red head... :) She was bopping the nurse and her Doppler today and yet again was trying to escape us... and again she got all fired up and went from a heart rate of 140 to 160 in a matter of minutes... she's getting bigger so there are fewer places to hide now!! Poor thing just wants to be left alone! :)

And speaking of being left alone... Caden felt Kaki move for the first time yesterday! It was hilarious! Anytime I lay back on the couch or in a chair and stretch out, Kaki goes CRAZY... like finally she has the room to get her groove on and so she does. Well, Caden was snuggled up next to me yesterday afternoon watching some tube and I thought I'd give it a whirl! And sure enough she kicked him four times in a row... he giggled and giggled and said "yah...yah..." Then when Justin got home he told him how Kaki kicked him... and demonstrated by kicking with his leg. Then today he got up on my lap and started trying to use his foot to kick my belly (not hard)... and he said "kick, Kaki..." I think he is confused on who is supposed to be doing the kicking! :) A sweet experience to watch my two little ones begin what I hope will be a life long friendship!

In BIG BOY BED news...

Caden has had TWO great nights in his bed! TWO really good naps and one not so good nap. And when I say not so good, I mean he kept crawling out of his bed and knocking on the door... hahaha... like let me out! But after some settling he ended up doing just fine. AND... both this morning and today during nap he stayed in the bed until I made it up there to get him down... progress! Definitely progress! He is VERY proud of himself every time he sleeps in his big boy bed... it's fun to watch his little chest puff up and his smile shine from ear to ear! We are proud of him too... and we're keeping our fingers crossed for more good nights and naps in our future!!

That about sums up our week thus far... been enjoying the beautiful weather with lots of time outside in the backyard and at the park... I do LOVE Spring! :) And yes... that is why my allergies are bad... BUT I figure it's worth the sniffles! PLUS, my doctor said that a little "color" on my legs will help camouflage those nasty veins! :) I think he was hinting at how badly I need a tan...Bring it on!! :)

Hope everyone is having a great week thus far!! Much love bloggies!!

PS: I just realized that both of my kids' names are flagged with spell check!! And I'm thinking that means we picked some GOOD names! :)

ONE BIG (BOY) WEEKEND!!

(WARNING: LONG POST WITH LOTS OF PICTURES! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!)

It's been nearly a week since we "chatted" last, and BOY do I have A LOT to fill y'all in on! I wrote my previous blog entry on last Monday evening and I did a quick recap of Kaki's growth over the past few weeks, BUT what I didn't tell you is that we made a HUGE decision that day. In literally the matter of minutes, my sweet little baby boy GREW UP when he decided that he wanted to pack his suitcase and go to San Antonio to visit KK and Albi. KK and my Aunt Terry were in town doing some shopping and stopped by the house to visit and do lunch... while they were here, KK mentioned getting to come to San Antonio sometime soon to go to Sea World to see the new Sesame Street park that just opened... WELL... WAY TO GO KK, because he decided that later was not NOW and he was "YEADY!!" "I YEADY Mommy, San An-to-yo!" Oh DEAR!

But I'm not ready I thought to myself... I've never been good at the whole letting go thing... BUT I've been working on it... A LOT! And I decided that while I wasn't exactly thrilled with spending the weekend away from Caden that it would be the PERFECT opportunity for Justin and I to pull an EXTREME Cox home makeover and get Caden's big boy ALL ready so that when he returned home on Sunday we could have a HUGE surprise BIG BOY ROOM party!! So that was it... the decision was made and off we went about our week... talking about Caden going to San An-to-yo each and every day... the countdown was on!!

AND I had to get busy... LOTS left to buy, decide on and complete so Justin and I could make the MOST of our time this weekend! We had a mountain of work ahead of us, but the excitement of surprising Caden with his new big boy room kept me going ALL week! I went to Home Depot at least 4 times, Lowe's twice, Target twice, etc., etc. While Caden was at school Tuesday and Thursday I never went back home... just buzzed around town checking off my list! So by Thursday... I was P-double O- pooped!! BUT ... again... eye on the prize!! EYE ON THE PRIZE!

So that brings us to Friday...

12:30pm: KK and I made the hand-off in San Marcos! With minimal tears... ALL FROM ME, we headed off in two separate directions... Caden was in for a weekend of FUN and Justin and I were in for our OWN kind of adventure... and truthfully it really was VERY fun! I said it once and I'll say if 5 million times over... there really is NOTHING better than doing something special for your kiddos!! I love it!!

4:00pm: Justin called and said he was coming home early so we could get going and I got my first pictures from KK... he hadn't been there 4 hours before he needed a bath! :) Planting flowers in KK's garden can make a boy pretty stinky...

While, I LOVED getting sweet pics of my boy, it did make it surprisingly harder... that face is my weakness! :) Once Justin got home we busted over to eat a quick bite on a nice breezy patio and then we were off to buy a mattress... I walked in and said, "I need a mattress and a box spring and I need it by Sunday... what are my options?" Luckily, there were only two options to choose from, so we plopped down on each one to try them out... made our selection, loaded it in the back of our car and we were off and RUNNING!

Meanwhile, Caden was enjoying a nice relaxing burger and fries with KETCHUP with his KK and Albi at one of their fav spots!!

5:30pm: LOTS of prep work to do... here is the before shot... we had gotten C's bed a few weeks ago and already set it up... everything else was a MESS!! We had to clean out and start taping those walls... it was time to PAINT!

7:15-10:15pm: PAINTING... LOTS of PAINTING! I took the baseboard stuff and a few other detail paint jobs and Justin did the heavy painting... he's a paint-rollin' FOOL! :) And he looks SO cute doing it, doesn't he?! We opened the window to a LOVELY cool breeze and jammed to some Zac Brown Band Station on Pandora and painted the night away!!

11:00pm: BEDTIME!!

8:00am: I awoke to a SWEET picture of my little man eating his breakfast at his KK and Albi's!

By 9:00am we had finished a few more touch-ups on our paint job and were off to run a few more errands AND we did get a little incentive at Starbucks and a yummy bagel at Einstein's while we were out and about!

After breakfast, Caden had a FULL list of activities... including lovin' on Molli!!

Caden had a VERY exciting activity planned for his Saturday in San Antonio, but before they could head out the door to Sea World, KK and Albi took him to the tennis court in their neighborhood to "hit a few balls... " of course I think mostly he enjoyed running around like a banshee! :)

After his warm up "run," they headed out to Sea World, which was getting more crowded by the minute... and the sun was getting warmer... While Caden was HAVING SO MUCH FUN at Sea WORLD doing this...

This...
And this...
Justin and I were doing a little bit of this...

• Putting a ceiling fan up...
• Running to Ikea to buy a new bedside table when the STAIN I bought to redo one that we had was a decorating FAIL
• Moving furniture into the room
• Ironing curtains/bedskirt
• Washing new sheets
• Installing curtain rod
• Building bed rail
• etc. etc. etc.

And Caden just kept on playin'... CAROUSEL fun with Albi!!

At the Elmo show...
AND finally... KK and ALBI and Caden (I guess) decided it was time to GO! :) After what we know was a long BUT very fun day at Sea World!! And of course KK and Albi had to buy Caden another Shamu... and this one is almost as big as he is! :) Now he has TWO Shamus... and he is sure to tell EVERY ONE about it! :)

4:30pm: Justin and I were D-O-N-E... just a few last minute things were left to do and we were both WAY past it and were ready for a NIGHT OUT on the town!! And so was Caden... chips and queso on the patio!!

Justin and I had a WONDERFUL dinner out last night... we got to sit and relax our way through an appetizer, meal, AND dessert... it was fabulous and LONG overdo! It was a GREAT treat after all of the hard work we had put in ... and it was the perfect lead-up to the fun and excitement of picking Caden up and bringing him home to his SURPRISE!! :)

8:00am Sunday morning: woke up with no text from KK so I decided to call and check in! Caden was STILL asleep! Poor guy was worn out from all of his fun in San Antonio...

Justin was up and at 'em WAY earlier this morning (because he can't stand himself) and finished up the last few things in Caden's room! Since Caden was getting a late start to the day we decided to take advantage and hit the store before we went to pick him up... we had already decided that we were going to play hooky from church... we took full advantage of a slow start to the morning... :) If you call Justin's 5am a slow start... haha! He's such an old man that way!

While we were at the store, KK sent this pic... Caden's breakfast set up... food, video and a view of the deer in the backyard! :)

And Justin and I agreed that it was TIME for Caden to come home... and boy was he in for a rude awakening after all of that GOOD OLD FASHIONED KK and Albi spoiling! :) Which we LOVE by the way! We can straighten him back out! (I think!) Ha!

10:50am: We left the Rock to meet back with KK and Albi in San Marcos... Caden was EXCITED to see us which made our hearts happy. We were beginning to wonder if he would even want to come back home, BUT alas... he still loves us and was YEADY to see his Mommy and Daddy! And you better believe we were YEADY to see him too! His hug never felt so good!!

After we said our goodbyes to KK and Albi and of course one million THANK YOUs we were back on the road and eagerly anticipating the SURPRISE!! We kept asking Caden what he thought his surprise was... he said... "Cookies" "Chocolate Milk" and "A toy"... and we were thinking..."NO WAY CADEN... It is SO MUCH BETTER!!"

BUT was it?!!

To be honest... the first reveal of his BIG BOY ROOM was a little rocky!! Almost FULL ON melt down rocky! We had the GRAND idea... (parenting fail #430) that we would make Caden "throw away" his pacis before he could enter his BIG BOY room. Well, turns out that was all too much. He was confused... is this the surprise? Throwing my pacis away? And why can't I open this door yet? What's in there?! It's my new big boy room... let me go in!! TEARS!! Lots of tears!!

So we quickly rethought the paci ordeal and headed into the room! Once the door opened his tears quickly dried up and he seemed interested in what he saw... but still wasn't super excited! I think Justin and I had both envisioned the kind of tears that the people on Extreme Home Makeover cry when they yell MOVE THAT BUS... tears of joy, gratefulness, etc. BUT what could we expect... he's a two year old! Ha!!

So while our intentions were GREAT, our execution was BAD!

Here are a few pics... NOT a few... a LOT actually... every feature of the room... that we took before we left to pick Caden up! Speed through or sit back and ENJOY! :)

A view from the door...

Dresser...
Big boy bed!!
Rocking chair... LOVE THESE CURTAINS!! :)

Books!!
Sweet boy...
Our Twilight Turtle and Bible... :)

Closet...
Cute little painting, Gran and Poppa had done for Caden while they were away on their cruise recently...
Another full room pic... (we're anxiously awaiting some Casey Wiegand art for the wall above his bed... CANNOT WAIT!!)

OLD ROOM... :( AKA, Kaki's room... obviously LOTS of work to be done!
Caden's new closet...
Shoes...
And NOW... for the CADEN pics... Daddy is also videoing his reaction!! :)

Playing with his "friends"
oooooo... what's this?! He LOVES his new Twilight Turtle! Justin and I do too... last night after dinner we sat in his room with the lights off and the Twilight Turtle on... admiring our work and dreaming about the next day when we'd bring the Chade back home! :)

Checkin' out his closet...

After our rocky intro... we decided to give him a break and play outside and around the house, then we decided to go back upstairs and unpack his suitcase... this time around he was LOVIN' his room, especially his big boy bed! We took the opportunity to practice the RULES of his new room so that he would be ready for his first night in his bed!!

BUT... he actually beat us to it, because later in the afternoon he asked if he could go nap in his big boy bed and who are we to argue when the kid asks for a nap?! He took about 5 minutes to find his spot and then he was out!! We had to go wake him up after a few hours so that he'd be ready for bed again tonight... check him out!! Such a big boy!! :)

We were so excited that nap time went so well and are keeping our fingers crossed that tonight goes just as well! And TONIGHT his Twilight Turtle will really be COOL! :)

After his nap we had a BIG BOY FAMILY PIZZA PARTY on the porch! It was the perfect way to end the day!! :)
We'll keep you posted on our progress this week... we decided to delay the paci thing for a few weeks... KK advised that it might be TOO much all at once, and after our near meltdown earlier in the day we had to agree! :) Sleep is important for us all! One step at a time... no need to become a BIG BOY overnight, right?!

Thank you KK and Albi for whisking our sweet boy away for a wonderful weekend! AND thank you Justin for being a HUGE HUGE HUGE help and literally TAKING OVER the room makeover project! I know you are super tired going into another work week, but I also know that you experienced the same joy as I did in completing this special project for the Chade! I love you!!

Happy Weekend!!