Brrrr!

What should have been a fantastic week for swim lessons, ended up the total opposite. Mommy signed me up months ago for the parent and tot swim lessons at Fairfax pool. Little did she know, that the weather would barely reach the mid-70's this week. All of the babies were shivering with blue lips. Mommy and I still went everyday despite the cold weather and some of my fussiness (due to the cold). The best part of the swim class was playing with my buddies, since many of Mommy's co-workers and friends also signed up their little ones. Finley and I look "super" excited to get into the water, don't we?!?!? Finley's Mommy is job-sharing with my Mommy next year. It was great to see him since it's been awhile!Finley is negotatiting with Carter and I... "if you go, I will go too!"

Here is my silly bear walk that I do when I don't like the way the ground feels on my knees. Mommy keeps trying to convince me to just stand up and walk, but crawling is still so much faster!!!

Finley let me borrow his rattle to help Mommy get me dressed each day. She agrees with Heather when she mentioned it is like wrestling an alligator these days! After all of my hard work, all I got was this fancy certificate. I thought it should have also called for DQ, but Mommy was too cold to even consider ice cream.

Here we are at the end of class. Notice the smiles?!

Part of the class was learning to dive off of the diving board... no seriously, it wasn't that we had to dive, but we did need to "jump". All of the parents just about fainted when they heard that the babies were going to go off the diving board. Mommy said, "No way am I going to let my baby go off of that thing!!!" She didn't say that to the instructors of course, but in the end, she gave way to peer pressure and made me walk the plank. Surprisingly, I didn't scream at all, although I was a bit shaken afterwards. We practiced jumping off on the board on Tuesday and Thursday. Mommy requested that they turn on the waterslide so that we could go down together, but they didn't have time. Next week, I am signed up for my last week of swim lessons for the summer and all I can do is pray that the weather is much warmer and that I don't have to go off of that diving board again!

Laurie Jo hosted the week's playdate. Her theme was farm animals and she even had some funky farm hats (we weren't even going to try to get a picture of all the kids in a hat). Ms. Lily is getting so big... look how cute Lily and her Mommy look!

Maddy was there too and I haven't seen her since her swim party. She showed us all kinds of fun animal sounds that she knows. At this point, I can growl and meow, but we are working on many other animal sounds too.

Carter and I were playing with a massager that belongs to Laurie Jo. Mommy thinks I should learn how to use that on her back. Funny how we have tons of toys to play with, but instead we just play with everyday items around the house!

Laurie Jo offered the Mommies lemonade and margaritas (the real reason the Moms love playdates). To Mommy's surprise, I didn't mind eating the lemon, as you can see above. She says she can't figure me out because I like black olives, pickles and lemons, but I won't eat vegetables! In case you are wondering what my onesie says, it states, "Man of your Dreams" and it was given to me by my uncle Jimmy. He is trying to teach me the ropes of being a ladies man!

My latest craze is playing in our toilets. Daddy even bought toilet locks that are supposed to keep me out of the toilets. Little did he know that when the toilet "sweats" the sunctions unstick and I find myself the greatest toy invented. I alread know how to lift the lid... one less skill my parents need to teach me when they potty train! Mommy tells me this keeps her on Daddy's case to keep the toilets clean. He is the toilet cleaner of the house.So this is why my Dad is in the bathroom for sooooo long... reading material!My second most favorite toy in the bathroom is the funny, spinning thing with toilet paper. If you come to our house, you will notice that the paper rolls are bulky and strange looking, since Mommy insists on winding the paper back up after I spin it off.My parents left me on Thursday night because they were given reserved Country Jam tickets that night, by our neighbor Don. They were happy to go on a date and I went to the neighbor's house for a few hours and then to Grandma Lois' for the night. We had fun and Grandma let me stay up late (because she had some friends over). It was a win-win situation for all!

Daddy's all smiles with his "adult sippy cups" of choice

Mommy is dancing away to the music. Am I too young to be embarassed about my parents???

The reason they left me was for this guy, Tim McGraw (they were in the 5th row off to the right of the stage, and the jumbo-tron was right there too, which is why Tim McGraw looks like he was right in front of them...Mommy wishes!)

This was their actual seat placement at the Jam... great tickets! The guy on stage before Tim McGraw was Blake Sheldon, who Daddy liked better than Tim McGraw.

Back to me.... I now know the "secret spot" that the dog bones are kept. Liberty is loving me even more these days, because I give her at least 4 milk bones each day. Most of the time, Mommy doesn't notice that I have ANOTHER bone in my hand until it is too late. Liberty is looking a little chunky lately, so my parents will probably need to re-locate the dog treats. I tease Liberty by handing her the bone and then snatching it away. It's a good thing she isn't a pit-bull since I probably wouldn't have any fingers anymore. She usually gets the treat after Mommy comes to the rescue or if I accidentally drop it. It doesn't take long for Mommy to realize I have a treat for Liberty because I crack up laughing with this little game we play.

Mommy finally captured me dancing the other morning. While I have my breakfast, I watch Disney Playhouse and they always play the "Hotdog Dance" during the show. We all dance and sing to the song as part of our silly, morning routine. Unfortunately, Mommy held the camera vertically, so you will have to tilt your head to see me dancing. I think I have good rhythm and skills!

On Sunday, we went to Great-Grandpa Jim's house in Woodbury to celebrate his 85th birthday! All of my aunts (great-aunts and aunt Stefanie), uncles (great-uncles and uncle Jimmy), cousins, Papa and Grandma Sharon were there. We had a nice time eating lunch, visiting and swimming together. Great-Grandpa is in the very late stages of Alzheimer's but he always has a kind smile and "happy eyes" when we visit. We always cherish our time with him.

Daddy and I swimming in the pool. I am pretty brave around water now (thanks to the diving board episode)

A fun day at Grandpa's pool

Grandpa was pretty tired and was falling asleep as we were reading him our birthday cards and giving him our gift. Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Stefanie, Mommy and I tried to keep him awake for a picture, but we didn't have any luck. He must have been pretty tired from his birthday celebration!

To end our week, Mommy and Daddy loaded up my wagon and we headed to Irvine Park to see the animals. I was amazed by the Lemur (the silly looking monkey that looks like a raccoon). It had a huge tummy and it was making chattering sounds at us.

In the beginning, I couldn't figure out what the heck I was looking at... is it a raccoon or a monkey? Maybe I will call it a moncoon! I am still intrigued by this creature...I started to laugh because I think this animal is quite funny! You can see the little rascal in the background. I am looking forward to Daddy's work picnic on Wednesday so that I can check-in on the animals again. I really had fun at the park and I had a fun and busy week overall!

Twins!

Did I scare you with the title of my post? No, Mommy is NOT pregnant (nor is she trying) and she is definitely not expecting twins! Our friends, Arlyn and Jennifer, had their twin boys this week and we are so happy for them. Jacob David was first to be born (5 lb. 10 oz.) followed by Aiden William a few minutes later (4 lb. 3 oz.) Jenn said she didn't even know that she delivered Aiden (Mommy can't imagine that!) I didn't visit the boys since they are so little, but Mommy went to the hospital to see them. She loved holding them and giving them cuddles. Aiden is similar to my size when I was born, which made Mommy sad because I am so big now! We are saying lots of prayers for the boys, especially for Aiden because he needs a little extra TLC since he is such a peanut!

And two became FOUR! Congrats to Arlyn and Jenn with their peas in a pod!

This week we mostly grumped about the cold weather and were thankful it wasn't my week for swimming lessons (this upcoming one is). We had our neighbor's grandkids over two separate days so that Nancy could go to work. Connor will be a 3rd grader and Tyler will be a 1st grader, so Mommy said it wasn't like she went from one baby to three. It was kind of nice to have them over since I was instantly entertained. Mommy says that she has a newfound respect for mothers with three boys (Grandma Lois for example!) We didn't capture any pictures of our time together with the boys and Mommy says she would never be able to keep up with scrapbooking or a blog if she had three boys. Between entertaining and cleaning while they were here, she had didn't have a spare second to get her camera out!

Claire, Lauren and I playing together

On Thursday night we went to the cities to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We had a playdate scheduled at Mommy's friend, Meggen's, the next morning. I was pretty excited to be the only boy there, so I had lots of attention. Since it was chilly outside, we just stayed in and played with all of the fun toys. We only were able to play for a few hours because Mommy had a doctor's appt. in the afternoon. It was a very quick trip over, but well worth it!


Mommy loved the idea of using a train table for a coffee table. We might need to do this in our basement. It was one of my favorite toys to play with. Also, as you can see in the picture above (mouth open), my new sound is that I growl like a bear, thanks to Grandma's bear rug in her house. I think I was scaring some of the kids by my endless growling. I also have a new game called, "Throw all the toys on the floor and see how messy it can get!" I will be lucky to be asked back to Meggen's to play! Notice my nerdy socks with sandals in the above picture! Mommy did not pack for cold weather, so she had the nerve to put these one. Thank goodness the fashion police did not stop in!

Abby and I were playing with their kitchen set. Mommy was surprised to see how much I loved this toy. She thinks this might be a great X-mas present (hint to the Grandma's!) It was a miracle that I didn't squish Abby's finger in the cupboard as I violently opened the door and slammed it repeatedly. Abby and I are two months apart and I haven't seen her since February. It was great to see her and she really is a cutie! Abby even let me suck on her pacifier (actually, I stole it out of her mouth and stuck it into my mouth). Mommy had to capture this since I would normally not have a pink pacifier and I am not allowed to have a pacifier outside of naptime.

On Saturday, we went to Great-Grandma Klay's family reunion. It was close to home which was nice for us. It was not a very good turnout for our immediate family since none of my cousins, uncles, or Auntie Erin could make it. Grandma Lois was there, Great-Auntie Donna and Great-Uncle Anson, and Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa were there too. There were lots of extended relatives, who I have never met before. It was a nice time and we ate lots of food and had fun at the park.It was near impossible to get a "good" picture of all of us. At this time, I was falling apart and desperately needed a nap.

I really loved the slide at the playground. Daddy would put me at the top and just hold lightly onto me as I raced down. My parents think I might be a little daredevil!

To help pass time, Great-Auntie Donna and Great-Uncle Anson took me on mini-walks around the park. They enjoyed "Caden" time and I loved the scenery. We reminded them that we live close by and they can stop in anytime or better yet, they can take me for a few hours so Mommy and Daddy can go on a real, actual date!

Remember my comment about no pacifier during the day, Daddy broke the rule and stuck this into my mouth because I was near delirium from sleep deprivation at the end of the reunion. This was my parents "saving grace."

Before we left for home, Great-Auntie Donna gave me a Hawaiian outfit that she and Great-Uncle Anson brought back from their trip. Great-Uncle Anson is from Hawaii and it is "tradition" for them to give Hawaiian outfits to their nieces and nephews. Daddy has many pictures (too bad Mommy doesn't have one to download) with Hawaiian shirts and shorts on as he was growing up. The humor in it is that Daddy had to SQUEEZE into his outfits since he was a bit, "chunky" as a child. Mommy and Daddy think I will look fabulous in my Hawaiian outfit. It is still a bit too big, but I will definitely need to post a picture of me wearing it and maybe Mommy will look for one of those "hot" pictures of Daddy wearing his outfit!

The last activity we did this weekend was a boat ride on the lake. I am getting to be quite the boat driver. Mommy and Daddy are not sure if I am making sounds like I am a motor or if I am doing my growly bear impersonation. The good news is that I like the boat and we are enjoying the lake! We also did a little pit-stop at the state park so that I could take a dip in the water and play with and eat some sand.

Finally, a note on my walking progression... today I took a good 7+ steps on my own and I am now letting go of tables and traveling short distances to get elsewhere. Mommy is HOPING to have a mid-week post this week stating that I am an official walker. I definitely have the desire to walk and I continue to laugh and smile as I teeter-totter my way across the floor. Wish me luck this week with swim lessons and walking!

The fair and a rash

Last week, I had my first round of summer swim lessons. Mommy signed me up for three separate weeks of swimming and this one was in the evening so Daddy could come too. Because we swam in the evenings, it was very cold and many of the toddlers were SCREAMING and crying during the 30 minute lesson. One Daddy said it sounded like a torture chamber (ha!) Mommy and Daddy were happy that I was an enthusiastic swimmer for the first 20 minutes, but then I fell apart because my teeth were chattering and my lips were blue. I think those signs should have been obvious to Mommy and Daddy that it was time to go home. Instead, they would try to give it a few more minutes, but I never let up and basically fell apart. Once I was back home, they would put me right into the hot, bathtub and then to bed. I did "pass" the class and received a certificate for my fantastic skills of floating, blowing bubbles (not really), and I even was dunked (that was not very nice). My parents were surprised by the difficult tasks they made us babies do! I have swim lessons next week along with some of my friends, so we will give it another try and hopefully next time the water and air temp. won't be as chilly!

Mommy was hoping for a great picture here, but I never did pull the trigger


Mommy and some of her high school friends went out on Friday evening in Minneapolis. She was excited to see all of them, but especially Gina and Tricia who flew home from Arizona. Holly met up with them (but was not in this picture). Holly is due any minute with her little dude! Good luck Holly!




On Saturday, we headed to the WI State Fair in Chippewa Falls. I particularly liked the petting zoo area. The goats were hilarious and I just laughed and laughed at these guys. Everyone in the petting zoo area were looking and laughing at me because I was so funny. I then decided to climb up on the green gate and shake the thing like I was a prisoner. At that point, Mommy said it was time to leave (I threw a little fit to let her know I wasn't happy).

Feeding the goats. I also decided to taste it myself... ewwww....poor goats!

The best part of the fair was the little treat that my parents gave me...mini-donuts! These were the most delicious and fantastic thing ever. I thought they were the perfect size for me and I had sugar EVERYWHERE. I headed right for the tub when we got home! Next year, I hope to go on some of those crazy rides and maybe ride a pony too.

Daddy and I liked the cow barn. I thought it was really funny how they swished flies off of their tails. I lauged at the cows for a long time because they kept on swishing and swishing their tails. Daddy and Mommy think it is amazing how I can laugh at the littlest things!

The above pictures were taken to try to show you my crazy rash (the pictures really don't do justice). Maybe it was the animals you are probably thinking?!?! The answer is "no" because I had a high fever on Thursday of last week followed by a low-grade fever. I am now all better but I developed this strange viral rash on my trunk, neck and face. We went to the doctor and they had no good reason or explaination. They said to just let it run its course and it should clear up. Mommy was worried I might have the chicken pox or something like that. Sounds like I could have picked that up at the fair, but we didn't pet any chickens. Once again, my parents were probably overly concerned and now get to pay $20 for ANOTHER office visit that explained nothing.

Daddy and Mommy are trying REALLY hard to get me to take more steps independently. When I do take steps (up to 4-5 at a time), I often run so fast and just laugh and laugh. They keep telling me to slow down! I am SOOOOO close to walking that I don't think they are going to leave me alone on this. Sorry about the sideways video!!!

In closing, some of the improvements I have made this past week include NO CRYING at daycare (yeah for me!), better eating the past few days (I am getting pickier by the day especially with vegetables), courage while swimming, and Mommy swears she hears me say "all done" when I am finished eating (I do sign language for all done), but I also say the words, she thinks. We will try to get that on video clip for you to decipher! Have a great week!