Girls' Night

Ella and I had a Girls' Night Out last night. It was so fun and I loved being able to spend some one-on-one time with my favorite girl. Ella was so excited about it all day, telling Cade at least a hundred times, "You don't get to go, Bubby. Only the girls get to go. You have to stay here with Daddy!" :)
We stopped by Barnes and Noble. Ella and I could spend a whole day in that place! I'm so glad she's such a book lover.

Oh, wow! A whole wall of Little Miss and Mr. books! Aunt Pam got us started and we have been collecting them ever since. Ella pointed out that we have most of the Little Miss, but none of the Mr. books, "so that's what I need to tell Santa about!" haha!

Love this one...

Then on to the hair salon for a haircut. Waiting patiently like such a big girl...

Cheese!

Getting a shampoo. She kept saying, "Mommy, this tickles!"

And a blow-dry. "Wow, my eyebrows are really going crazy!" haha! Needless to say, she was providing some good entertainment for everyone within earshot. :)

Ta-da!

Yea! All the good clients get a sucker afterward! :)
My pretty, pretty girl...

Last stop: Steak and Shake!! Yum, banana milkshake!!

Such a goofball!

I have to say, this little gal ate every last bite of her dinner and then asked for more! She told me over and over, "Mommy, this is really awesome!" and I had to agree! I loved it! We did manage to misplace a shiny pink purse over the course of the evening, containing a beloved Minnie phone and two favorite lip glosses. Total party foul, I know. We retraced our steps and asked around, but still couldn't find it. I guess it's safe to say Santa's list just got a little bit longer. :)

It won't be long now!!

He'll be on the move soon!

I'm a lucky woman to have two incredibly sweet and beautiful men in my life...

and I'm so thankful this is the man my babies have in their lives.

Ella looked up at Chris today and said, "Daddy, you're the best! You make me so happy!" It just makes my heart swell to hear her say things like that.

The jumper

Little Cade absolutely loves being in his jumper...

I love it, too, because it gives me some much-needed time to get things done and I don't have to feel guilty leaving him be for a bit, knowing he's having a grand time. I snapped these pictures of him the other day and, after seeing this one... I couldn't help but remember this one of his big sis doing the same thing in the same jumper... I can't even believe that was just three short years ago! Of course, the difference is Ella didn't have a big sister pushing her in the jumper, trying to send her flying off the door frame! But if she had, she probably would have loved it just as much as Cade does. :)

When you have a big sister...

... it's inevitable that things like this are going to happen! Hang on, Buddy!

(Don't worry, Mommy was close by to supervise! :)

A beautiful day

It's been so beautiful these last couple days. While Cade was sleeping this morning, Ella and I went out to enjoy the sunshine and big, blue sky.
My buddy...
We played with everything! First up, bike riding!

Then chalk...

Even hopscotch!

"These special leaves are for you, Mommy, because I love you so much!"
Then we played baseball...

and football. Ella is going to be quite the kicker!

She wanted me to take this picture for her daddy "because it will make him happy! Go, Cowboys!" :)

Finally on the up and up

The last week has completely flown by around here. We've been super busy, but Cade and I have also been sick. We're finally on the up and up though, and I'm pretty happy about that. Looks like the poor little guy is following right in his big sister's footsteps with the eczema and wheezing. We took him to the doctor for wheezing and congestion, then he woke up the next morning with a fever that ended up lasting for four days. It just breaks your heart when they're so miserable and nothing seems to help. He just couldn't seem to get comfortable, in my arms or out of them. Once, when I did manage to put him down for a couple minutes, he scooted himself across the floor to a pillow and just passed out. I had to snap a couple pictures because it was just so sweet... ...but, oh, so pitiful!

Miraculously, Ella has managed to stay well and is still her goofy and energetic self...

And while I worked over the weekend, poor Daddy was burning the candle at both ends, exhausting himself at work and also trying to keep up with a sick baby and a little girl who never stops. We were all so happy to see Grammy come on Sunday. Chris needed a break and I'm pretty sure the kids needed a break from us!

I'm just so thankful that Cade is feeling better! I'm hoping he will be back to one hundred percent soon. I'm sending out lots of good vibes that all of you and your little ones stay well and healthy!

Seven months!

Cade is now seven months old and growing so fast! I can't believe he is now closer to the one year mark than his birth day. It's so fun to watch him learn and see that intrinsic curiousity about everything and everyone. He loves to be right in the middle of any bit of chaos going on (and with Ella around, you can bet there is plenty of chaos! :) He spends a lot of time propped up on his elbow, and only needs to push up with his hand to start sitting. He pretty much gets wherever he wants to go, either by rolling across the room or doing this cute, little inchworm move on his back. He gets his legs moving and his head bobs up and down. It cracks me up every time!

This little guy loves to play with his sis and we're lucky that the feeling is mutual. Ella will spend so much time reading to him and showing him her toys. Cade loves to have his hands on a ball and will get so excited if we sit and roll it back and forth to him. He also loves to be outside, or, if it's too cold, just to look out the window to see what's going on in the world. I love to watch his face, because you can see a thousand different emotions in a matter of minutes.

He is still such a happy, little boy, but is definitely getting more of a mind of his own. Whereas he used to mostly go with the flow, he will now immediately let us know if he doesn't like what's going on. He babbles all the time, and loves to say "Dadadada", "A-yaya", "La-la" (which sounds so much like Ella!), and (when he's mad or tired) "Mwa-mwa-mwa". No teeth yet, but he has a few places that look like they could erupt any day now. He loves his baby food. He will sometimes eat cereal and finish off two small jars of fruit or veggies, and still cry when it's all gone! Little piggy! haha!

Bedtimes and naps are getting a bit trickier- he doesn't go down quite as easily and will wake up at the drop of a hat. I'm pretty sure he's afraid he will miss something! I remember going through this stage with Ella, but I don't think it started until she was about nine months. Anyways, this change in sleeping habits (or lack thereof) is making me seriously reconsider working night shift. It can be pretty difficult at times, but then, when he's so cute and excited to see me at three in the morning, I forget (for the moment) about how tired I am. I'm just so grateful to be his mommy!

We love watching you grow, Little Man! We thank God every single day that He chose us to have this court-side seat to the best show in the world!!

Trick or treat!!

Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat! haha
We had SO much fun on Halloween!! We got to hang out with family, laugh a lot, and eat a ton of candy. What in the world could be better?
The world's prettiest Minnie Mouse...
And sweetest puppy dog. Cade wasn't so sure about it at first. :)

And definitely the scariest bloody soccer player I've ever seen!!

Ella loved giving hugs to the cute puppy. I love Cade's face, Mom, help me! Get her off! :)

Ready to trick or treat!

Last minute touches from Kellie...
What a little doll!

My blessings. :)

Kyle, Kellie, and Payton (Loved spending Halloween with you!)

Heading out!

Hot on the candy trail!

Ella had more and more fun as the night wore on and she got the hang of it. She would wait for Payton to ring the bell, then when someone answered the door, she would run up the driveway, yelling "Trick or treat! Trick or treat!"

What did you get, Ella?!

Cade heading back with Papaw and Mamaw...

Look at this precious face!!

Passing out candy with Momma...

Payton and Kellie checking out the loot...

Ella's first pick- a sucker!

We finished the evening off with candy, hot chocolate, and White Castle!! What a combo!

It was such a great night, and we even managed to get the kids to fall asleep eventually! haha! Ella's already asking if she can go trick or treating again in a few days. Hope yours was just as fun!