Cade at 3 years

My sweet boy, Cade Marion. At three years old, you are a whirlwind of excitement and spontaneity and curiosity and LIFE! There's a song I like about living out loud. One part says, Come on, crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout. This is life we've been given, made to be lived out, so... live out loud. I feel like this describes your approach to life perfectly! You want to jump high and run fast and play hard and laugh loud. You have a big heart and big emotions and BIG FUN!

You ask lots of questions and constantly want to know Why? or Why not? You are loving and charming and know that by squeezing my neck, saying, Peez, Mommy, peez, I can hardly say no to you. You are independent and fearless and want to do things for yourself, even if that means climbing to the top shelf of the pantry to get your own cereal- not that I would ever (knowingly) let you do that!

At three years old, you weigh 30 lbs and are 38 inches tall. You are a slim, little thing and Mommy has a hard time finding pants that stay up on you! You are excited about becoming a big boy and do a good job eating your fruits and veggies and drinking your muscle milk. If you eat a lot for dinner, you want me to check afterwards and see if you've grown. You're hoping to be reaaaalllly tall like Daddy one day. You like fire engines and tractors and really wish you could take a ride on that big garbage truck that comes by our house each week. =)

You are Daddy's buddy and Mommy's little boy. You love to cuddle on my lap in the mornings and sometimes get a little jealous and tell me to put Harper down! You enjoy having Mommy to yourself while Ella's at school and Harper's napping. You like to spend this time playing bat and ball, cars, or reading. Seek and find books are your favorite. You know your colors, numbers, and 22 upper case letters, but have a hard time with shapes.

You are a typical little boy who enjoys tormenting his big sister. When you know Ella is going to give you what for, you just grin and cackle and take off running. You like to gross her out and make her laugh by talking about your bodily functions. And for all the grief you give each other, Ella is your constant companion and co-conspirator. The two of you go on many great adventures every day. You have a soft spot for your baby sisser and treat her like your little teddy bear. You are forever telling me, Aww, Harper's 'dorable and she's the lucky recipient of gobs of little boy kisses and squeezes every day.

I can honestly say there is never a dull moment with you, Cade Marion! I pray daily for wisdom and guidance in molding your adventurous spirit into something wonderful and exciting for Him. May you always be so full of life and know you are oh, so LOVED!!

The Cone 2012

We have been waiting all winter for The Cone to open back up for the season and it finally did!! Ella and Cade had worked hard all week at being kind and helpful, so we could go over the weekend. Plus they had gone through their Easter eggs and gathered up all the money inside. Together they had over $7 to use on the rides and games! It was a little chilly, but we didn't care- we were excited!!

What Ella has been waiting for all winter- strawberry twist with rainbow sprinkles. Yum!

No way was Harper going to let these kiddos eat their ice cream without giving her a bite!

They rode a few rides, but mostly wanted to play the arcade games. Ella got stuck on the claw game, and, even though I've never seen anyone win that game, there's no way you can explain that to a five year old. She just kept going back for one more quarter, then one more, then one more until she was completely out of money! It was pure entertainment and Chris and I just sat back and watched. I felt like I was watching someone with compulsion disorder, but Chris said she's just determined. Either way, don't let the girl near a casino! ha!

Swim lessons

Ella and Cade started swim lessons this week. Look at those faces- they were so thrilled! They both jumped right in and gave it their all. They'll be little fish in no time! And the squeals and laughter- just priceless! We are counting down the days until next week.

Harper at 9 months

Harper Noelle, you are pure joy!

Some things I want to remember about you at 9 months:

* You wake up smiling, go to bed smiling, and stay that way the whole time in between! If you get upset, it's usually so short-lived and you're back to your happy self in no time.
* When I get you out of bed in the mornings, you cuddle your head into my neck and give me sugar- there could not be a better way to start my day!
* You say Dada and Ewwa (and Mama's coming soon, I just know it! =)
* You wave bye-bye
* You enjoy sucking on your toes
* You are full of stories and make sure your voice is heard right along with Ella and Cade's

* You are sitting up and rocking back and forth on your knees. No crawling yet, but I promise I'm okay with that! You can get anywhere you want to go by rolling- and you can roll really fast!
* You hold a phone to your ear and say, "Wo?"
* You sometimes "sing" along in church and I usually melt right then and there
* You love to sit and roll the ball back and forth.

* Bath time is a special time with Daddy. You squeal and splash and love to put your hands in running water.
* You are entertained by Ella and Cade. You giggle almost immediately when you look at Ella- she's full of funny noises and faces. You tolerate Cade's rough hugs and kisses to a certain point and are not afraid to fuss at him when you've had enough.

* If you're getting your diaper changed and can reach a blanket, you usually start to play peekaboo. You just cackle when we play along.

* You are bashful around people you don't know and shy away by laying your head on my shoulder.

* You think riding in a cart at a store is the best thing ever. You hold on so tight with both hands. You just sit and grin, then cry when I take you out.

* You weigh 22 1/2 lbs and are 29 inches tall. You have grown by 2 lbs and 2 inches in the last 2 months! Mommy loves the rolls on your thighs!! You wear mostly 12 month clothes- though they don't always cover your belly!

* You take four bottles and eat three meals a day. I can't really say what your favorite foods are, because you gobble down everything we give you! You have started to sit in your booster chair and join us at the dinner table. You LOVE getting bites of table food.

* You still have just two teeth on the bottom, but your gums are swollen on top. And even though you are teething, you hardly ever get cranky. Such a sweet, sweet girl!

I love seeing the world through your sparkly eyes and thank God every day that I get to be your mommy!!

Ribs

Cade had his first experience with ribs last night. Boy, did he love them! He was enjoying himself so much that I snapped a few pictures. He was so fun to watch! The remnants on his face pretty much tell the story. haha!

We also had a conversation with Ella at dinner that we had kind of avoided on numerous prior occasions. She's a good eater, but she can get grossed out about things. Whenever she would ask us where roast beef or bacon or some other meat came from, we would kind of just say, "Oh, we got it at the grocery store," or something like that. We didn't think our little animal lover would eat meat again if she knew what she was eating. So, last night as Ella was eating her steak and ribs, she asked, "Where do ribs come from?" We looked at each other and said, "From a pig." Then she said, "Where does steak come from?" We said, "From a cow."

She said, "What, do they just shoot it and kill it and make it into meat?"

"Yes, something like that."

Chris and I sat there holding our breath, wondering what her reaction was going to be. Then Ella, ever the one for practicality, said, "Well, why do they make it all confusing and stuff? Why don't we just say we're eating cow and pig?" Then, without missing a beat, she handed her plate to Chris and said, "May I have some more cow, please?" Well, OK!

Because I just can't help myself...

It just melts my heart to see my little girls in matching outfits! I always wanted to do all that cute sister stuff when I was a little girl. And for now, Ella thinks it's so neat for them to wear the same thing, so I plan to keep it up as long as they'll let me!!

Trip to Gram & Pap's

Mom and Dad invited Ella and Cade to stay with them for a few days over spring break (well, Harper was invited, too, but I'm not quite ready for that!). I drove them down a couple of days ago and dropped them off, knowing they were going to have such a blast. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of spending the week at Papaw and Grandma Lawyer's house in the summer, and I know Ella and Cade are making fun memories like that this week. I'm so thankful for the special bond my kiddos share with their grandparents!

Spring break fun

Cade's tractor party

We celebrated Cade's birthday with family on Saturday night. One of Cade's most favorite things to do is ride Pap's tractor, so no surprise that he wanted a tractor party. I laughed as I went through these pictures, because there are hardly any of the birthday boy. He was napping when everyone first got here, then he was way too busy playing to pose for any pictures for Mommy!

Gram, Ty, Mamaw, and Harper

Ella and Payton snuck a ride on the blue jeep

Lil' party animal

Chris and his sweet grandma

What in the world? Someone put a brand new bike in our kitchen! Thanks, Papaw & Mamaw!

"Oh, tool!" A Cars couch just Cade's size!

Payton and Ella were more than eager to help with the presents.

Happy boy

Tractor pinata time! Cade was up first.

Laila's turn

Then Ella gave it a whack.

Harper snuggled with Aunt Kellie

Payton busted it open and Cade beat on it a few more times.

Nice work, tough guy!

Time for tractor cake. As if we needed any more sugar! Look at those cheeks stuffed with candy!!

Happy birthday to Cade! I love that he always joins in and sings to himself!

The night ended with snuggles on the new couch and lots of silliness with cousins.

Thanks to everyone for coming and making it so special for the birthday boy!!

Our little man turns 3!

Cade also celebrated a birthday last week- he turned 3!! He had been looking forward to his birthday for sooo long. For about two weeks leading up to his birthday, he woke up every morning and said, "Hey, Mom, my birthday's coming up!" He was counting down the days! When he woke up on his birthday, he told me he was bigger all over, "even my hair is bigger!" haha! We met Daddy that morning for a special birthday donut and spent most of the day outside enjoying the sunshine.

Cade opened his presents that evening. He was EXCITED!! All he had talked about for weeks was a blue jeep he had seen at the toy store. Every time anyone would ask what he wanted for his birthday, he would say, "Just a bu jeep, peez."

Such a good and informative big sister. =)

A gumball machine and an angry birds t-shirt!

After he opened those two things, Chris said, "Okay, happy birthday, Buddy! Hope you got everything you wanted." Cade was quiet and nodded. You could tell he was just wondering about that "bu jeep"! We decided to go outside and play. Ella put up the garage door and [insert squeals] "Mom! Mom! See?!!" A blue jeep!!

The birthday boy was more than happy to drive Miss Daisy around all night. ha!

Time for birthday dessert. On the menu- ice cream sundaes!

Happy birthday, Cade Marion!! May you always know how much you are loved!