Caden's ring bearer debut

This weekend, my cousin got married - congratulations David & Rebeca!

Caden was the ring bearer.  

This was the only non-blurry picture I got of him, but isn't he cute?!  

He and my two nieces (the flower girls - Madelyn, 3.5, and Riley, 1) made it all the way down the aisle eventually (thankfully!).  Hillary and I were kneeling at the front of the church, looking like idiots, trying to get them to come to us.  Madelyn did fine, of course, and Riley pretty much followed her big sister.  It was a long aisle, and Caden didn't see me until the last third of it, so he got a little distracted several times during the first part.  Once he saw me, he grinned and ran toward me - it was so cute.  All the guests clapped when they finally made it to the end of the aisle :).

It was a fun & busy weekend with all the family in town.  I'm pretty much exhausted now, and also pretty much over being a 9-month-pregnant single parent of a toddler.  Wade gets home this weekend.  I can't believe we're going to actually have another baby in the next month.

Remembering mom

4th of July tradition of visiting the cemetery

I can't believe it's been 4 years since we said goodbye to mom.  My sweet baby boy twirled and trotted and giggled around the cemetery today, full of life that I know mom would have loved to see.  I hate that I can't "remember" her as a grandmother, since she never got to be one - I just have to picture what it would have been like.

Even though he can be a frustrating toddler many a time, Caden has been showing more and more sweetness lately, which is so fun.  He'll wrap his arms around my neck and hug me tight, or just giggle and grin when I go in to get him in the morning or after a nap.  He'll crack himself up doing random stuff, or come and lay his head against my belly for a minute or two randomly.  I hope he stays that way when baby sister comes!

So proud

I just wanted to post to say I am SO PROUD of my hubby, who, at the ripe old age of 27, is going to be the Assistant Principal of the CDS High School next year, as well as the Varsity Men's Basketball Head Coach (and, not to mention, a father of two!).  It is going to be a tough & busy year with all of that - in addition to finishing his master's degree - but I know he will be great at each of those roles.

Congratulations Wade!  I love you!

30 (and 33 weeks)

Well, I turned the big 3-0 yesterday!  It was a pretty regular day, but I did enjoy a wonderful dinner at P.F. Chang's with much of the family.  The food was delicious, it was great to have everyone together, and Caden behaved like an angel from heaven for all 3 hours!  That might have been the best birthday present of all :).  It's crazy to think that I'm now the age my dad was when I was born, and I'm having my second child too...  In 30 more years, I could be going on 4 grandchildren like he is!

Today is back to reality, as Wade left for team camp in Myrtle Beach for the weekend, and Caden is behaving like a toddler again.  He's not a bad kid by ANY means, but man, is it tiring to parent and correct and remind and praise and clean up and fix food and change diapers and be patient and gentle day in and day out with a toddler.  Since he is unable to communicate most of what he wants or needs, he has started this whole screaming/hitting/tantrum thing.  If something frustrates him, or a toy isn't doing what he wants, or he's tired or hungry, or I am not picking him up or getting his food ready fast enough, he just lets out a super loud, ear-piercing scream and/or hits me and/or throws the toy and has a fit.

I say "no screaming" or "no hitting" or "be gentle" about 200 times a day, but it is so frustrating to me because it just never seems to make a difference.  He still screams or hits in that moment when he is frustrated.  I have to constantly remind myself that all these things are phases, and although it seems like my instruction and patient reminders are doing NOTHING and he will NEVER learn, he really will, eventually.  Eventually, he will be able to say words to express himself, and eventually he will understand the concept of obedience and be able to respond to me.

Meanwhile, I am now 33 weeks pregnant...  7 more to go!  It's starting to feel like it is dragging at this point, but I think part of that is due to the long, tiring days of dealing with the aforementioned toddler :).  I have plenty to do, between Caden & housework & errands & working from home, so I'm sure when August comes, I'll look back & wonder how it is already my due date.  But baby girl still seems perfectly healthy & everything is going smoothly, so I'll just keep dealing with my one child until I have to figure out how to manage two!

Ring bearer ready!

Caden is all set to be the ring bearer in my cousin David's wedding in July!  We tried on his new suit and shoes the other day and they fit perfectly.  I just hope he can take directions and walk down the aisle when the time comes!  Somehow, he - at 17.5 months - and his cousins, Madelyn (3.5) and Riley (just over a year) - the flower girls - need to all make it down the aisle on July 7th.  It promises to be a little crazy, but hopefully pretty cute too!

3rd trimester!

This pregnancy is flying by - we will have this little girl in our arms before we know it!  I'm in the 3rd trimester now and still feeling great.  Getting a little more tired physically, and often more tired emotionally as Caden enters toddlerhood.  

Some days it seems like the tantrums and fits are non-stop.  Although, then there are days like today...  I had to wake him up out of a dead sleep at 10:45 this morning (after he went to bed at 7 p.m. on the dot last night)!!  And then he was pretty cheerful and played well and ate his food without screaming and ran some errands with me all the way until nap time.  It was great.

Here's the 28-week belly

You'd barely know I was pregnant from the front!  (Haha, this picture is rather deceptive - I really look more pregnant than that in real life, especially when I'm not wearing all black!)

Things are busy the next couple weeks with Wade finishing the school year and me finishing my office hours at the church...  beginning in June I'll be an independent contractor, doing my same job but all from home.  I'm excited about it, and hope it continues to be a good thing after adding another baby to the mix!  Wade's summer is full of basketball camps and graduate school.  Once he finishes those, we'll barely have time to turn around before the baby comes and he starts back to school again!  Crazy.

Trip to Ohio

Last weekend, we all got to drive up to Ohio to see Wade's grandmother, who turns 90 in May.  I had met her just once before, at our wedding, but it was great to get to spend more time with her and introduce her to her great-grandson!  We also spent time with a few more of Wade's aunts & uncles & a cousin, so it was a fun little family reunion.

Unfortunately, I got no pictures of any of that, but did get some cool ones of animals at the Columbus Zoo, which we visited on Friday.  Caden was a little moody after having been in the car 11 hours the previous day, and then he slept in the stroller all afternoon, but the rest of us enjoyed it!

This leopard was absolutely gorgeous - makes you understand why people want to wear leopard print :).

The gorillas were Wade's & my favorite - they were so entertaining and person-like.

Forget what this guy is, but we'll just call him Rafiki, from The Lion King.

And who could pass up a researcher photo op stand?