"This is the BEST Christmas EVER"

She set out the cookies and milk with such care.  She had to make sure there were enough cookies to bring back to Mrs. Claus.  She made sure she made the chocolate milk herself (cause that's his favorite you know). She laid out 3 pieces of celery for the reindeer to share.  She even made Santa and Mrs. Claus gingerbread men out of play doh. Everything was so thoughtful.

She opens her eyes and looks over at me with a huge smile "Lets go down stairs Mommy....lets see if Santa came!!!" Without a blink of the eye we jump out of bed and quickly make our way downstairs.  "He came....look at the all the presents for us!!"

After waiting for a VERY long 2 hours for daddy to come home from duty.  It was FINALLY time to open presents.......

He was more excited to have the wrapping paper!!

But was very much enjoying his first Christmas!!

"Holy ppppppmoly"

"This is the BEST Christmas EVER!!!!"

Happy 9 month Birthday Colin

Holy cow I can't believe my baby boy is 9 months already!!!  The time is just flying by.  He amazes me everyday with something new.  He is crawling faster than I have ever seen, he pulls him self up and wants to walk but just isn't brave enough yet! (thank goodness I'm not ready for that) He babbles non stop!! He really only says "dada" and "all done"! However he did say "i love you" a couple of times but never to me!! He loves to laugh all the time.  His smile is the goofiest I've ever seen.  He is truly the happiest baby.
And most exciting he finally got his first tooth today.  I was honestly starting to think he was going to be toothless forever!!!  I really couldn't be more blessed to have him has my son.

She makes me proud

So many times I find my self getting upset at the messy bedroom, or the spilled food, or the typical 3 year old behavior.  I feel like I'm not doing a good job parenting her.  I feel it's my fault she doesn't listen or defies me.  But then there are these moments that she makes me so beyond proud. And those are the moments that remind me that I am a good job and I am doing a good mom.  Here a just a few of those moments

Today I was making a cake for my neighbors son.  As I was making the cake Cadence kept asking me to try the frosting.  I told her she couldn't try any because she already had a cupcake earlier.  Well my neighbor came in to check out the cake and tried to give Cadence a bite of frosting. Cadence said to her "I can't have any frosting cause I already to much today!!!"

A few weeks ago I made cookies.  I told Cadence if she eats her dinner then she could have one.  Well she didn't eat or dinner so she didn't get a cookie.  Well Daddy came home and tried to sneak her one and she told him "Daddy, I can't have one because I didn't eat my dinner."

It is not even just the stories like these or all the please and thank you that make so proud.  It is how loving, grateful and giving she is.  I told her that we have to go pick out some toys for some little girls and boys that have don't have a mommy and daddy.  And she said "Ok we can buy them stuff and pretend we are their mommy and daddy." She is just so sweet.  Even in the store she is so excited to be buying something for someone else.  She doesn't even as for anything for herself.  

She makes me smile!

A few of my favorite things........

Here are some of my favorite quotes, behaviors, and things about the kids past and present.

Cadence:

"Oh no I almost a got my lovie"

"What? What you say-ed?"

(in an annoyed voice) "Mamaw"

Marshmallow = "smashmellow"

"this is gonna be the best day EVER!!"

The way she uses grown up words......
"Did you saw that? It was wicked ginormous!!" or "We definitely need to buy that"

I love how.....

she says she loves me a million times a day.

she needs to give daddy an extra hug and kiss for work or duty.

how proud she gets when Colin does something new.

she makes up a song for everything.

she dances ALL the time.

she says I'm her best friend!!!



Colin:

I love how....

his face lights up when I look him.

how when say "Go Colin Go" he gets super excited and starts to crawl or bounce super fast.

he giggles when you tickle his belly.

he is so curious.

he shakes his no while laughing when he is eating.

the face of disgust he makes when he tries something new.



I know there is so much more but as of now these are just a few things I never want to forget!!!

She says the darndest things!!!

So it's about week after we did our thanksgiving and we finally decided to break the wishbone.  Steve holds one side I grab the other side then Cadence says she wants to do it too.  So I show her how to hold it with her pinkie, she grabs onto my half with me.  I then tell her that you need to make a wish then we will all count to 3 and pull to break the wishbone.  So we all think and make our wishes.  We count "1..2...3...break"


"Yippee Cadence we got the big part, we are gonna get our wish"


and without a pause or a thought she says "I wished for boobies!!!!"


Steve and I are now laughing so hard we almost pee our pants!!  A couple days later she was talking to Auntie Val and Cadence tells her "I want purple boobies because I have a horse named purple Kangaroo"
I don't know where she comes with the stuff!  But I love it and I hope she never loses this crazy imagination. 

The Reason

The year is 2054, we just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and more in love than ever. I am imagining my self sitting on our old porch swing, holding Steve's hand while my head is resting on his shoulder. We are talking about the amazing life we have had.  We talk about the day Cadence was born, the day she graduated from Yale, the day she got married, and the day our first grandchild was born.  We then talk about the day Colin was born, the day he graduated from the Naval Academy, the day he got married.  We remember all the big moments in our children's life.  Then we start to think about the little moments.  The moments that didn't seem important at the time.  But years down the road we go back to them and realize it was those moments that shaped who our children are.  Those are the most important moments.


I never want to forgot those moments.  So many times Steve will come from work, or I will be talking to family member and say "Cadence said the funniest thing today! But I can't remember what it is. Oh and Colin did something amazing 2 days ago and forgot all about it" So I have decided that those moments are the moments that need to be recorded.  I want to look back 50 years from now and remember them like they just happened yesterday.  So this blog will be my attempt to record them and share them.  Someone once said to me after hearing a story of something Cadence said "you need write this stuff down!" Well I am finally writing it down.  Sometimes I may just write a quote, or a small milestone. Other times it may be an elaborate story.  But whatever it is, it is important to me and I don't want it to become a lost memory.