Good Times, Bad Times!

So far the week we have dealt with a lot of tantrums, a lot of hitting, a lot of whining, and also a lot of fun times.  Welcome to parenthood huh?  There are just those days that I want to pull my hair out or if I lived by my mom have her take Cayden off my hands for a few hours :)!  But then I see how much fun Cayden can be and after hearing him giggle for a few minutes, gets me through the tough times!  I know God has blessed me with Cayden, I just need some reminders here and there :)!  God continues to grow Matthew and I as parents and we learn something new each day!  Here are some pictures from this past weekend and the start of our week!

Cayden LOVES getting new cups.  His face lights up when he sees a new cup and wants to drink out it right away.  Here he is with his first cup with a straw-he is still figuring it out! On this occasion, he drank and entire cup of water right away, too funny!

Cayden and Daddy reading an Elmo book, Cayden thought it was hilarious.
Uncle Shaun and Aunt Courtney stopped here for a night on their way back from Mexico.  It was great to see them for an evening, although we wished it could have been longer!  Thanks for stopping by guys!  We love you!
Cayden at the park.
On the swing.
Drumming on the picnic table, this kid can keep a beat!
Need I say more?
Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Pictures from the Week!

This week we got adjusted back to our normal routine and I have continued to get over this nasty head cold. After Sunday, Cayden loved me again so I was happy about that :) I will have to think real hard the next time I leave him for a week! Here are some pictures from this past week!
Cayden LOVES reading his books now and since he also LOVES being independent he likes to sit in his own chair except when he wants us to "read" to him!
All smiles when holding a cell phone!
Still wasn't so sure if he was happy to have me back :)
Eating goldfish crackers and talking to Grandpa and Grandma De Yager on the web camera
Still talking with Grandpa and Grandma. This is how Cayden plays peek-a-boo, way too cute!
We went out one day to a shopping center where they have a fountain (unfortunately we didn't see the fountain, but Cayden enjoyed running around!).
Cayden and Daddy
So today we went in his room while he was taking his nap and this is what we found. Hey, I guess whatever is comfortable :)!
We then let Cayden play on the deck with a bowl of water and some toys.
He had a ball!
And then he poured all the water out
And put the bowl on top of his head!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Michigan!

Last week I was blessed to be able to go to Michigan to see some friends and to help my cousin, Kelli, with her two babies.  Aunt Annaleyza flew out here to watch Cayden for three days (and I mean three full days by herself with a one year old) while I flew out to Michigan Cayden free.  Although it was tough to leave Cayden behind, it was good for me to go alone so that I could give all my help to Kelli and not worry about Cayden.  This was the first time I have ever left Cayden for more than 8 hours so this was a good test for both Cayden and I :).  Annaleyza did an awesome job with Cayden . . . Thank you Annaleyza, we love you!!  

So I flew into Grand Rapids, MI and my friend Naomi picked me up and I spent the day with her and her daughter who is 10 weeks older than Cayden.  We had a lot of fun hanging out and talking and taking some pictures.

Super cute!  

That one is precious!
Mike and Naomi were generous enough to have Kelli, Mark, and my other good friend, Kristi, over for dinner that night.  It was so great to be able to see some great friends.  Here is a picture of the girls-I love them all!
The next couple of days Kelli and I hung out a lot and cared for her two little ones.  They were both very good babies, I was impressed.  We were also able to go out a few nights childless to go shopping!  So that was a lot of fun!  We also got to see the rest of my cousins at a church dinner and hang out Kari (Kelli's sister) and her two girls a few of the days!  A lot of fun catching up with everyone!

I caught Ruby smiling!  What a cutie!

Here is little Charlie, he reminded me of Cayden when he was that little, including putting his hand up in the air while sleeping :)!
So cute!
Charlie likes his pacifier!
Ruby and I!
So precious!
I came home on Saturday night and it was so great to see my family again!  I guess it was good to go away so I realize how much I love them :)!  Cayden was a little bit mad at me on Sunday and was so upset at every little thing I did.  I guess this was his way of telling me that he did not like it that I left :)!  So now we are slowly getting back in the swing of things and I am getting over a cold and catching up on my sleep (due to the time change, 3 hours is brutal!)!  I am already looking forward to the weekend :)!  

Fun, Fun, and More Fun!

Cayden and Daddy on Daddy's lunch break!  

Daddy making shadow puppets for Cayden.  I don't think that Cayden really understood what was going on :)!
Look who got a new cup!  Cayden LOVES this cup, no handles!
Almost everyday we bring Cayden to the playground in our condo complex.  Cayden knows exactly where to go . . . and RUNS there!
Cayden wanting to go on the swing
Climbing up the ladder to go down the slide!.
Cayden at the top of the tower

Matthew taught Cayden to throw rocks in the bushes and now that is exactly what Cayden does. He even takes rocks home sometime . . . did I mention before that he is ALL BOY!
Cayden hanging from the monkey bars and having a blast!
Last Thursday we went with GUM to Santa Ana Botanical Gardens, it was fun walking around and hanging out with other children and their moms :)!

Apparently all the children thought the rocks were pretty awesome!
Some of the children playing, Cayden wanting to play with the older kids, of course!
I think we need to take Cayden camping, he loved being in the "woods"!
Trying to get a picture of all the children . . . yea right :)!
On Saturday we went to Katia's 2nd Birthday party-it was a cowboy theme and I don't know why Matthew started wearing that hat while we were there and never took it off!
They had some farm animals brought in and despite my fear of animals, Cayden doesn't seem to be the least bit afraid of them!
Now our little boy has seemed to catch a cold :(, I guess we have been playing outside too much lately!  Hopefully he will get better soon!  As for me, I am off to Michigan tomorrow night to go help my cousin Kelli with her two little babies!  Aunt Annaleyza is flying out here tomorrow afternoon to stay with Cayden.  This will be my first time leaving Cayden so I am a little sad but I know he will be fine!  He is in good hands!  It will be nice to go out there to help Kelli and also see a few other friends from college!  Hope everyone has a great week!

14 Months and Weekend Review!

Cayden turned 14 months old today . . . I am not sure how long we keep updating in months but I like to document it for now :)!  Cayden has started to "talk" a lot more. He really tries to repeat almost anything we say but it rarely sounds like what we are saying.  Somethings that we can recognize him say are "doggy"(we can pick it out), "cracker", "bye bye", "Daddy", "Mommy", "Baby"!  It is fun to hear him start talking.  He continues to have the most energy I have ever seen a person have but we enjoy seeing him have a good time.  He is ALL boy!  He loves cars, balls, dirt, playing at the park, and wrestling us to the ground.  He is always up for a good time that is for sure!  He started to teeth again and is working on his 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th tooth (2 of which are his molars).  We are thankful that God continues to keep him healthy and full of life!  

Loves his crackers . . . even from a pink bowl!
It is hard to take this child's picture!

On Friday we went to a music class at a bookstore (that they offer for free), that was so much fun!
Cayden really enjoys music so it was a nice way to get out and do something.
On Saturday we went to the park with our good friends, Matt and Tara.  Cayden always loves the park! 
LOVES the slide and is getting so good at it!

We played Guitar Hero and Karaoke, it wasn't the prettiest sounding, but it was a lot of fun!
The girls singing!
On Sunday night we went to the beach for a campfire with a group of friends from church.  It was a lot of fun and Cayden had a blast!  Oh and he loves sitting in big people chairs now. He thinks he is pretty cool when he does that!
The girls!
Matt and Matt cooking some hotdogs.  Random fact . . . 4 out of the 5 guys there are named Matthew!
Cayden loved to run after the seagulls, it is hard to keep him contained here.
And he loved using the firewood as big blocks!