Yeah!

Hello! We are excited to post an update from the past few weeks. Cooper did not have his 6 month photos taken at the end of December because of the crazy Christmas events going on. Instead, he had them a month later and we are just posting them now. Here is Cooper's 7 month photos that were taken by Mommy's cousin, Kristin. We just love his pictures as they reflect our happy and loving little guy!

Some exciting news on my end... I have gone potty in the toilet EVERY time I have needed to go the past 3 days, no accidents! Mommy doesn't want to jinx it by saying that I am fully potty trained. I wear pull-ups just to play it safe, but my pull-ups are dry, even after nap time! I am not going #2 in the toilet yet (I conveniently go during nap or bedtime). When Mommy was cheering me on this week, I responded, "Good job eating candy, Caden!" She thought that meant I didn't quite get it, but I continued to show her otherwise. Now, my parents are sure to brush my teeth REALLY well twice a day and they hope my dentist appointment in June doesn't backfire on them :) We will keep you posted next week on my potty training development... good job, ME!

Two weeks ago, my parents finally gave in and allowed me to go up for Children's Message during our church service. I was definitely the youngest one up there, but my parents know our pastor well and knew he would love having me up there. I sat very quietly and listened to the message. Each week, they send home "the bucket" with a child who returns it with something inside. Since it was my first time at Children's Message, our pastor gave me the bucket for the week. I had so much fun playing with and in the bucket that week. My parents are reminded that the simplest things around the house make the BEST toys! I returned the bucket the following Sunday and since it was superbowl Sunday, I put my football in there!

As you know, most everyone in our family are huge Packer fans (Mommy excluded). Daddy, Cooper and I got decked out in our Packer gear for the game. Mommy made a fun dinner and we decided not to go to our neighborhood party but just stay home and watch it together. It was an exciting game... a real nail-biter! We were all excited (I think Mommy was OK with the outcome too) that the Packers won!

On Saturday, we went to Kerri's house for a pizza dinner with Kerri, Bob and Chloe. Chloe is 4 years-old and was a very good sharer. She even allowed me to blow bubbles outside with her. It was a nice day (look, no mittens!)

I must have gotten a little carried away as I gave Chloe a big hug for the camera! I also gave her a hug so that she will continue to let me come over and blow bubbles with her soon.

We decided to do something new as a family in celebration of Valentine's Day (which is tomorrow). Daddy wanted to hit the waterpark, but Mommy mentioned bowling. We called up Lily and family to see if they wanted to meet us there and they thought it sounded fun too!

We saw a boy with Down's Syndrome bowling next to us with this ramp device for his bowling ball. Mommy commented to Laurie Jo about how great it would be to have that for us kids. Well, Laurie Jo asked the owner of the bowling alley if they had more and they did! Thank goodness because sitting on the floor to push the ball would have made our game much shorter. The ramp for the ball was SO much fun and we actually bowled a full 10 frames. Lily and I even beat the grown-ups!

I am one strong guy! I carried the various bowling balls right up to the ramp to push them down. I was lucky not to drop one on my toes. I even picked up 10 pound bowling balls to set in there. My parents were surprised by my determination.

Meanwhile....Cooper was not able to bowl, so Lily kept him busy with peek-a-boo; she adores him, but she is still my girlfriend. Lily and I did well taking turns with bowling and she even allowed me to bowl a few of her frames when she got tired.

As typical 2 year olds, we started to find new ways to entertain ourselves. Lily discovered that the ball ramp was like a real slide and I discovered that the fan on the ball return was like a hairdryer. Fortunately, Lily didn't slide down the alley and I didn't get sucked into the ball return shoot.

Here is the proud bowler! I think my score at the end was in the 90's! Not bad for my first bowling experience. When I got home, I kept telling my parents, "I bowled today!" They have a feeling that I will ask to go bowling everyday. My Mom is going to dust off Grandma's bowling ball and baby blue Nike bowling shoes. Maybe if we get serious about this, I can get my own bowling set for home.

Many of you have asked if I got "back in the saddle." Just a few weeks ago, I decided that snowmobiling was fun again. I am back to asking to go on it daily. My parents can't figure out why the big switch, but they are glad to see that I am brave once again!

Today was the first day in a LONG time where the weather didn't take your breath away when you stepped outside. I even said, "the sun feels good" when we went outside this morning. This afternoon, we headed outside for snowmobiling, sledding and snowman building. Cooper loves his sled; we hope to have nice days ahead so that we can get more outside time.

We want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! We love our family and friends! We look forward to posting our next blog entry next weekend. Uncle Matt and Aunt Jill are having their wedding reception (they were married in Jamaica in December) so we will have lots of fun pictures for you to see! Have a good week!

Home Sweet Home

It has been several weeks since my parents came home from Jamaica and I apologize for this late post. The best part of that past several weeks has been our time at home. I think we lived in our car the entire month of December thanks to the holiday parties and traveling. One of the BIG events in January was the start of preschool. I attend a Lutheran preschool one day a week for two hours. My parents thought this would be a great way for me to interact with a larger group of kids my age. Jenny's son, Mason, also goes to preschool with me, so I know 1 of the 11 other kids in my class. Mommy had to teach on my first day, so Jenny brought me and Mason to school. Daddy came by with the camera since Mommy insisted on having pictures for her scrapbook. I had my personalized digger backpack loaded with extra clothes and other unnecessary items. At first glance, I was ready for this....

Then, came the part where I realized Daddy was leaving me again. Maybe it was the fact that my parents were only home for one day from Jamaica before leaving me in an unfamiliar place. Daddy snapped a few photos and high-tailed it out of there. I was the first to cry and by the time Dad left, 8 of the 12 kids in class were crying. He can't imagine what those teachers had to do to settle us all in. Jenny picked Mason and I up after school and was told that I took the longest to stop crying. Mommy is surprised by this since I usually just go with the flow. The positive part of my day was that I was excited about painting on the easel and was proud of my messy artwork.

Along came week two of preschool. Since it is only once a week, my parents were able to "talk up" preschool to me for 6 days before my next visit. This time around, Mommy did not have to work so she brought me to school. I was excited to paint (Mommy hoped to GOD that they allowed painting and fortunately they did). I didn't cry and took off towards the toys. It was easy and there were no tears from any of the other kids as far as Mommy knows. When she picked up, the teacher told Mommy I did great and that she knew right away which painting was mine on the easel because I love painting! Mommy wasn't sure how to get the huge, gloppy mess back home, but it did make it and is now hanging proudly on our refrigerator. I went to preschool the following week and again, everything is going great. I even ask to go to preschool on my days off!

We had our last holiday party the weekend after my parents came home from Jamaica. It was a friend's holiday party and kids were invited! It was crazy fun but most of the parents decided that babysitters are the way to go. It was a good trial and error on their part. All of the kids were excited and played well. The parents were all tired and ready for home by 9:00 that night. Mommy must have been really tired as she wore her friend's shoes home and didn't even realize they weren't hers... yes, she is blonde.

We had an unexpected playdate at Heather's one morning a few weeks back. Jenny's Daddy sadly passed away (we called him Papa) and Heather graciously allowed us to come over. Thanks Heather for the fun playdate. She went from 1 kiddo to 3 kiddos which was no easy feat, I am sure. Jenny... we continue to think and pray for you and your family.

We were well fed....

Had lots of fun with Finley's toys....

Cooper even found some baby toys which I am sure Heather is dusting off in anticipation of her baby's arrival in June....

And by the time Mom picked us up, we were asleep within 10 minutes of our drive home. Thanks again for being such a great friend!

We had a MAJOR cold snap last week. We were not able to go out to play because of sub-zero temperatures. It was a good thing we snuck out on the + days for some outside play.

Daddy put this oversized John Deere hat on Cooper's head.... um, Dad.... Cooper has about 20 winter hats that actually fit his head and will cover his ears. Just a tidbit for future reference.

Thanks to Daddy tearing around the yard like a maniac a few weeks ago, I have decided that our snowmobiles are scary and that "I don't like." Daddy can't seem to understand why zooming super fast in a circle would scare a 2 year old, but it did. I asked Mommy to ride to the garden and back on her snowmobile which we did. As we got close to home, I was ready to be done. My parents hope this snowmobile phobia is a phase since I rode on snowmobiles almost daily last year.

We went to Grammy's house for lunch on Mommy's b-day weekend. We trudged through the deep snow on the lake. My parents can't remember a winter with this much snow since they were kids. It is a lot of fun to have all of this snow but we need warmer days ahead to be able to enjoy them.

Grammy saved many of Daddy's toys from his childhood, even this old walker. I badly wanted to ride inside of it, but settled for pushing Cooper around Grammy's house. He seemed to like it, even when I slammed the walker into the wall a few times.

The highlight of our visit was when Grammy let me help her with making a birthday cake for Mommy. I am fascinated by mixers and ask to use ours almost daily. My parents don't allow me to use the Kitchenaide at home (they promise I can use it when I #2 in the toilet), so this was a very big treat.

Not only did I have fun mixing the ingredients together, it was a delicious chocolate cake too! I hope to make many more cakes with Grammy soon.

The next day was Mommy's 33rd birthday. She said that I only needed to give her hugs and kisses, which I did. She was spoiled with spa certificates, boots, gift cards and more. We enjoyed her birthday at home just playing and relaxing. She said that being a Mommy is the best birthday present of all and she thinks that Grandma really deserves the presents since she is the one who had Mommy and had to "deal" with her for 18 years. I will have to ask Grandma for more details on that one.

I was a good helper all day with opening presents, blowing out her candle, eating her favorite foods (Cold Stone!) and more. I sang, "Happy Birthday" to Mommy which made her wish it was her birthday everyday. I think that means she likes my singing voice.

Last weekend, we went to the cities after several weeks of "home sweet home." We went to see Papa since he was home from Indiana. We also went to see family since Grandma and Grandpa were having withdrawals from Cooper and I after our long stay while our parents were in Jamaica. Since gas prices continue to creep up, we decided to take Daddy's car. Liberty had to come too and since she had to squeeze between two carseats, this is how she chose to take her nap~head on the arm rest. Thank goodness she is resilient and flexible!

We had a nice brunch with Papa and gave him his birthday presents too. His birthday was on the 19th and we are glad we could celebrate with him. We will not see Papa until we go to Florida in April. Grandma Sharon did not make the trip home with him this time around but we will see them for some sun and beach in just a few months!

As you can see, I was ready with my Packers jersey on for the big game. We are pumped (Daddy, Cooper and I) that the Packers won on Sunday and are in the Super Bowl. Mommy is a Vikings fan, but will cheer on the Packers in case you are wondering.

My parents ran a few errands while I was "napping" at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. Their alarm system chimes and I must have sprung out of bed... look who is peeking out of the upstairs bedroom window?!?!?

Mommy and Daddy were supposed to go downhill skiing, but since the weather was ridiculously cold, we went to the zoo instead. I loved the "mooonkeys" the best and also liked the fish and tidepools. The zoo is way more fun in the summer when we can walk around outside to the exhibits. It was still a fun way to get out of the house to for a family outing.

We only spent one night at Grandma and Grandpa's before heading back home. I always love visiting with them! Grandma is very trusting and leaves things out that Mommy wishes she would put away (ie. hummels and other collectibles). I found her reading glasses and quickly put them on. I was dizzy for a bit but enjoyed everyone laughing at me. What a silly goose!

This is Mommy's short week of work, so we had Lily and Lucy over for a playdate. Lily loved my "jumpy house" as she calls it and I even allowed her to play with my toys! We decided to sit inside of my barn gate for a photo. With two toddlers and two babies, this was the only picture Mommy snapped. Next time we will have to get one of us jumping together in the jumpy house in our basement.

Finally, just an update about Cooper... he is feeling much better these days and hasn't needed his nebulizer all week! We are hoping his upper-respiratory infection is cleared up. He is back to his happy self. Cooper has sprouted his two lower teeth (pictures to come with those) and he LOVES to laugh and talk. He thinks that everything that I do is hilarious, which I can completely understand. In the picture above, I was talking into a pitcher which set him into a giggling fit for 15 minutes. The laughter between us boys makes our house a happy home and it makes my parents realize over and over again how amazing we are.... I agree!