Goodbye old friend

When we had Caden almost 3 years ago my mom gave Caden a blue teddy bear that you pull a string and it played music. Well, as a newborn when caden would cry I would pull the tail and the music would soothe him and he would stop crying. Miracle at three weeks old.



Well he loves that teddy, but as he got older he would start to chew on his beloved teddy and then the eyes we're getting loose, so i had to cut them off and sew the whole shut, same goes for it's musical tale and nose. I know a sad story he slowly looses it parts. But despite him looking slightly creepy Cadens love never wavered.




Well, I thought teddy was looking pretty ragged and pretty tore up. So, I proposed the idea of getting a new teddy, and Caden went with it(I'm totally shocked). We went and Caden picked out a new teddy today.

So, lo and behold the new teddy. Caden seemed okay saying goodbye to old teddy. And pretty happy and hopeful of his and new teddy's future together.




And yes, that is chocolate from a cookie all over Caden's face..


So, your thoughts do I save and keep old teddy as a keepsake or throw the old thing out? ( I kind of want to keep it, Eric thinks we should toss it)

Warm Springs...Warm Hearts

So....
last year we went to Warm Springs for our Anniversary, and we enjoyed ourselves(minus the dinner). Well, we heard they have a special candle lighting weekend, and it sounded so Christmassy(yes, that's a word...i made it up). So we went.

It was wonderful, as we drove there, we sang to Christmas music(Eric included, he totally caught the bug already, shocker!). As we pulled up to the main street that was all lit up with beautiful Christmas lights, I rolle down the window, and I started to get all misty, there was a big group of carolers singing to the crowds "Baby, its cold outside" my favorite! I was so excited I could have popped out right there, but held onto my patience until we parked.

We bundled C Man
(who thinks when he's wearing his hat and jacket-that he is a snowman) and we were off. There is all these little stores, which are so fun to look in.

Caden wanted to take one of these kittens home. He loves them! Can you tell?

But Caden saw this old metal train and that was it, from then on everything was "where is the train?"

So, we got to look around a little bit, and catch a little chill, we grabbed some delcious dinner at one of the little eateries(mmmmm.....chili) and then the high-light...........The train ride.

This train is a lawn mower converted to look like a train and the guy who drives it around town, blows a train whistle. That was the best, riding next to Caden watching his face light up riding this train was priceless!

So, there it is our Christmas tradition in Columbus... well Warm Springs actually.
Sidenote I could totally move there.

Steady goes it...

so potty training update. He's doing pretty good peeing, minus our setbacks on Sunday.

The best news is, he woke up today from his nap completely dry. Christmas miracle for our tough sleeper, and trust me after having to change sheet and blanket after every nap and night sleep, for 2 1/2 weeks, it's amazing to me!

So Wahoo, yeah to Caden!

And don't you love that our blog has turned into a potty training blog??

Fantasy in Lights-the long walk

That is the talk of the town here at Christmas time. FANTASY OF LIGHTS. So we heard through some friends that for the opening night instead of driving through they we're having a special March of Dimes event where you can walk through at a discounted price. So, we thought it would be good time and went to do it with the Hermann's and Swanson's.

Thats of course after going to a killer birthday for Caden's friend Jimmie where Caden proceeded to Cry and scream because he wanted it to be his birthday and peed all over himself and there floor=Good times! It seemed Jimmie and everyone else including myself had a good time.

So, that fantasy of lights, it was a chilly night, after hitting the urinal with the C(he's a champ) we were on our way, and as we're walking in the pitch dark, we here, "oh yeah, instead of 3 miles it's a 5 mile walk" Awesome. So, luckily we had some good friends to chat with and keep us entertained and fed. Caden got a little grumpy(and peed himself-it wasn't a good day potty training-clearly) and was ready to go about 3.5 miles in, but it was fun, Christmas music and Lights what more could you ask for?

It's the wonderful time of the year!

Christmas Card season!!

Our computer has crashed and we could not recover any information. So I need all of your address's. So, you can either post it as a comment, or if you want to keep it more private email me please at tabkate@yahoo.com

Please seriously do it, it will take a second!

Yucky, nasty week

Well this week little caden has been sick as dog! Which believe it or not has it good and bads.

Good:
He sleeps like crazy. seriously I slept in till 10 the other day and he still took a nap that day! AWESOME!

Bad:
The crankiness, not eating, coughing non stop and strapping me down to our home-anyone who knows me, knows I need to be out and about.

So, I figured I got tagged now's as good as time as any since I'm not going to post any gross snot pictures of Caden.

Weird things about me:

1) I hate Styrofoam, with passion. Seriously typing it gives me the goose bumps. Packing peanuts=Sheer torture proceeding to death for me
2)Love, love, love, love Cereal! I could have probably typed more love but grew tired of it. I could eat it for every meal everyday.
3)I think I have a slight case of road rage, not bad but dont you dare go turtle slow in front of me on the highway=irritating!
4) I love to do peoples hair but kinda of hate doing my own.
5) I'm obsessed with the windows being open, candles lit. atmosphere, it just makes me happy when the blinds are open and my house smells like hazelnut or vanilla.
6) I'm deathly terrified of doing a backwards roll, seriously even has a kid I wouldnt do it, i think there could be major, permanent consequences from doing so.

Probably not the weirdest things i can think of, but I'm tired, a long night with the C.

Overload

i know overload of posts, but so much and I'm not good at spacing it out.
I just love some of the funny things Caden says. Today we walk outside to go to the library and as we are walking to the car this is our conversation:

Caden: Mommy, look the sun
Mom: I know sweetie, the sun
Caden: The sun, hello sun, my name is Caden

i just thought that was the sweetest moment. He's just becoming so big and says the silliest things.

Wall-E

Caden loves Wall-E and is so excited for his birthday party. Im just excited he gets it and understands it and all I hear is "Birthday Party", "Birthday Cake".

So, here's a snip of my Wall-E

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Potty Power

Warning:this post contains a lot of Potty Training Talk

So, last sunday it started and too be honest, he got the hang of peeing really quick. Our way of going at it was no more diapers. We haven't used a diaper since last sunday=Crazy!

So, for peeing he's done Awesome! He's had one accident, which I think it's pretty great.(Hey, it's my blog, I can brag if i want to)

So no more diapers for us, that's for sleeping included, that doesn't mean he keeps his sheets dry. Baby steps.

We were just so jazzed about him peeing so great, in the big potty, little one, standing, sitting, at the Keddingtons, Panera, Welch's, Sand hill. He's doing great!

And then today....drum roll..He pooped in the potty! YEAH! I rented a movie "Potty power" from the library, totally lame, but he loves it, song's about his potty and how they get to wear underwear-YeaH!

An Answer

Sensory process disorder-
I know your thinking, what? Well, everyone has there quirks, good and bad. And with Caden there were just some I didn't get. So we had him evaluated. And they said no he's fine, obviously some sensory stuff(hates certain textures and food). So we went to a occupational therapist to get an evaluation, and finally someone could put my jumbled thoughts together and make sense of them. Basically she said he feels things 10 times more then we do and his response to them his to be defensive. It's just the way he process's things and then reacts. It's not everytime, or all the time. I feel so good about it, the lady(ms. susan) was so good with him. And we will be going back weekly to work with her. I'm know some of your are understanding this and some are totally clueless, but in summarizing, an answer to my stress! YEAH!







And a great note!! Caden is totally rocking potty training! We haven't used a diaper since Sunday-Crazy right? and that's not to say he isn't doing to great during nap and bed time, but baby steps. I'm just so super proud of him, he's gone potty now at 4 different places, and last night was left at a house with a good friend(shout out to awesome Becca) and handled like a champ at there house! YEAH!

My 2 minutes on Politics

here are my two cents on the subject that I personally hate discussing.

look above.....This is our president, accept it for good or bad. If you voted for him or not.

After an election people go on for months and months about how the wrong president won, and blah, blah, blah. Right now it doesn't matter, because he is our president and we as a nation should support him!

**I didnt vote for either:)

our first monday together=heaven

So, in pics this is our day,



we went walking-caden had a little spill, checking out our hopeful new rental=AWESOME!



and started potty training! YEAH!




And just hung out no time table,
no where to be=AWESOME!

Finally Halloween

Let me preface this post, I'm kinda over Halloween, we had done a lot of Halloween stuff, two weeks ago our ward had a fall festival(dress up and all) the trunk or treat and actual halloween. I know it doesnt sound like a lot but when you have a little on who thinks everyday is halloween and we should trick or treat and eat candy everyday because its halloween-yeah!

So last night i was like yeah we'll take hime to a couple apartments, well we finished dinner and some kids came to our door, as soon as that happened, Caden just exploded screaming "Trick or Treating" "Trick or Treating" he was ready and amped to go. so, we went it totaly changed my spirits, he totally got it and was so excited running door to door(the ones with lights on). We literally did our whole complex which is pretty big!
And there was this one apartment where we could walk through it was awesome, he had the whole thing done top to bottom and he was handing out full size candi bars-man caden totally scored!


The funniest thing to, he went up to a door knocked, said "trick or treat" the lady came and had a basket full of full size candy and he takes skittles(his favorite) and sees startburst(his newest candy obsession) and tries to grab both with one hand, very sly i might add, but we didnt let him get away with it.
By the end his pumpkin was so heavy but he wouldnt let either of us carry it. As soon as we got in he plopped down costume and all and started shredding into his candy, So cute! He's so grown up sometimes! Overall good Halloween year, now I need to figure out how to explain to him that we are not trick or treating today(its 9am and he's already asking to trick or treat-yikes)


I hope you all had a good Halloween!

PUMPKIN TIME

Today we finally did it...we carved our pumpkins and boy did Caden love it! WE did his first and we according to caden "made the pupmkin smile"


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Eric did a sick skull!

And I course dont like the find details of things did a big sloppy BOO!

It turned out well, I cant say for anything else that day but pumpkin carving went well!

Trunk or Treat

Some may be familiar with the term Trunk or Treat others not, so Ill explain: everyone decorates the trunk of there cars and the kids go trick or treating to the cars.
All the trunk or treats I've been to they trick or treat and then we go inside and play halloween games. Here they do it different they have everyone decorate the trunk and you have to provide a game for the kids to play at your trunk.

It was fun, our game at our car after awhile was try-to-stick-your-hand-in-the-candy-bowl-without-getting-touched-by-the-hand-on-the-bowl It was a BIG hit!

I think Caden had a good time, he was very distracted with all the games so he didnt do much trick or treating, just a lot of games with throwing balls(i think he was just trying to show off his sweet throwing arm)

So Behind

Well we had some technical difficulties this week, but here we are again! And it has been a busy week! Last weekend Eric got off early and so we seized the day and took off to Morengo Farms in AL. About 20 minutes away. It was so fun, there was of course a Pumpkin Patch(Caden LOVES pumpkins and kept saying"mommy patch pumpkin, patch pumpkin".
A little maze about a hay bill high, Caden loved it and getting to decided where to go.


They had all kinds of animals, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, goats, sheep, cows, mini-horse's.

But for some reason caden loved the chicken and he would shout "chicken come here" and so they would come and he would bravely put his little hand in there, which Eric and i were terrible nervous about, and then after awhile you guessed it a chicken pecked at his hand, it was funny he didn't really react he just looked at his hand and then moved on. Lesson learned.




They also had big pools filled with corn kernels, they say most kids love that part and it was the best to save for last, well, our kid didn't really like it, that's just on of his little quirks, he sat he played for minute and was over it.


It was a chilly day and forgot lunch so we had lunch at this farm, and I had some delicious chili and Eric a sick hamburger!

So we moved on tractor/hay ride, super fun! Caden loved it and wanted to do it again!


Of course WE got ourselves some pumpkins for a great deal and went home a happy bunch!