Cade goes to the dentist!

Every journal, article, Pediatrician, and even Dentists have given us varying answers on when to take our child to the dentist for the first time.  So, I took the average of all answers and went with three since we have brushed Cade's teeth (or variations of it since 18 months) and have had no teeth problems.  We added Cade to our insurance and then began the preparations a few weeks in advance.  We had been telling him for months that it was almost time, but a few weeks before we layed it on thick with books, practicing things a dentist might ask, and bedtime talk.  It worked out even better that my dental appointment was a few days before.  The teacher in me asked the nurse if I could take home the rubber part they clean your teeth with.  I have learned this is called a "prophy brush".  So, I showed it to Cade, we talked about it, he took it to Gamee's for show and tell....and then we held our breath that everything would go perfect.  The afternoon of the appointment, both Charles and I took Cade.  He was in a great mood, waited patiently, was friendly with all staff, and even told the nurse, "you can use a prophy brush on me"!  Ha!  We were so proud of our little man.  Cade received a perfect report, no cavities, and is not afraid of the dentist!  Yahoooooooo! 

Grampee's 18th Marathon!

Today Grampee had another great accomplishment...he ran his 18th Houston Marathon!  Yesterday we all celebrated with a family pasta dinner before Gamee/Grampee headed to their hotel.  We made signs for Grampee and all read him bible verses we selected so he could take them in his fanny pack.  Yes, this is the ONLY time Grampee is allowed to wear a fanny pack.  Even with the chilly weather, Grampee did an amazing job with a completion time of 4:34 and an average mile time of 10:27.  Grampee trains for months to accomplish this and we are so proud.  We stayed home due to the chilly weather this morning for the kids (Caelin is getting over Strep from earlier in the week), but kept in touch with the new Marathon App and texts from Gamee.  Cade especially loved watching the green dot (Grampee) progress toward the finish flag on the new app.  He had to have the computer next to him all morning saying "Go Grampee GOOOOOO!".  We laughed so hard when Cade saw the final picture of Grampee with his medal.  Cade's response was, "Congratulations Grampee, YOU WON!"  That is exactly how we all feel, Grampee was the big winner today...we are so very proud of you!

Ten years and counting

We normally do not celebrate our engagement anniversary, but we did this year!  Today was our 10 year anniversary of the day Charles proposed to me in Grapeland, TX.  It was a magical evening surrounded by both sides of our family, and I had no idea!  Charles' parents, my Dad and Grandmother "Mumps" had snuck off and lit about 100 candles forming a walkway down by the dam.  Rose petals covered a walkway toward a bench.  Once we got down there, Charles led me to the bench (while I kept telling him we had to leave cause we were gonna ruin someone's surprise!).  When we arrived at the bench, he read me some verses from the Bible and then reached into his boot where he had hid the ring.  Immediately he dropped to one knee...and well the rest is history.  After our excitement, we drove back to the house where we were greeted by our parents cheering.  We celebrated by going to a local Mexican Resturant where they sang "For he's a jolly good fellow" to us while we wore sombrero hats.  Hahaha!
These ten years have flown by and I am so blessed to have spent these years with a man like Charles.  Gamee/Grampee kept the kids so we went to an afternoon movie (Les Miserables...which was AMAZING!) and then an early dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Melting Pot.  It was nice to get a quiet meal in without wondering who is gonna spill what, who flung spaghetti where, and what the dog has stolen off of whose plate.  We were still able to have the best day ever, and tuck our kids in bed by 9pm.  A perfect outing!

Caelin is 18 months

I say this every time I start a blog about my children's milestones...but it is true.  WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?  It seems like just yesterday I was holding her in the hospital.  Yesterday we celebrated her 18 month birthday, and to be honest, I didn't mention it a lot  yesterday as it made me sad.  18 months is really the last of the "celebrations" at the doc office and now we move on to only annual birthdays/check-ups.  Never thought I would want to have regular check-ups at the doc office again.  Anyway, my precious angel is now 18 months whether I like it or not!

Caelin's 18 month stats:

Weight- 26lbs, 1oz (87%)

Height- 33inches (85%)

*Caelin got one shot today, her Hep A.  She cried initially, I think due to shock and the sting of the needle...but then was over it in about 10 seconds!  Brave little girl!

We went to see Dr. Kravitz today for her check-up and it was nothing but good reports.  She now has all her teeth except canines and molars.  So, be careful putting food in her mouth!  Speaking of food, Caelin can be a picky eater at times, but will still eat her weight in food!  When we go out, we have to order a separate meal for her as she eats more than Cade at times.  She can easily polish off a 4pc grilled nuggets, squeeze fruit, and milk from Chick-fil-A. She eats her regular 3 meals a day, but also snacks throughout the day.  Her favorite snacks include: gold fish, squeeze fruit packs, animal crackers, yogurt, and bananas.  She loves milk, chocolate milk, water, and apple juice.  Her favorite is chocolate milk though like her Gamee.  At night time, she sleeps about 11-12 hours and usually takes 1 nap that is between 1-2 hours.  She is pretty easy to put to bed as we read a book, sing, and then lay her down.  She knows the routine and usually never fights going to bed.

Caelin will now run quite fast if trying to avoid bedtime or a diaper change.  We laugh though cause if she is poopy, she will not run from us, but instead will follow us into her room if we say "Diaper Change".  Ha, smart girl!  She recognizes all those around her, and is still a little shy to strangers.  She does not like to be held by people she does not know.  Caelin can utter words such as: mama, dada, di-pa (diaper), uv-oo (love you), ADE (Cade), ay-or (Baylor), mo (more), and a-en (Amen).  She is really starting to "talk" a lot more these days, so I feel like many more words are just around the corner.  Maybe if she would get the pacifier out of her mouth she might talk more!  So, we are trying to only let her have the pacifiers (yes, plural) at night time for bed.

One thing that I love about Caelin is that she is happy and playful most of the time.  She loves to be around people and does not like to be by herself for long.  She will dance and sway anytime she hears music.  Our little diva also loves her SHOES (thanks Aunt Mendy for that!), bows, and purses.  She will often wake up in the mornings and start pointing to her bows and then her head grunting.  I can just hear her thoughts saying, "Hello?! Can you please put that bow in my hair?!"  She has also fallen in love with her dolls and strollers.  She can be quite dangerous if you get in the way of her running with her stroller.  Poor baby dolls!  Cade is still her favorite person and she LOVES it when he gives her any attention.  When it comes to sharing though, both Cade/Caelin are working on that.  :)  She makes the funniest facial expressions when we say, "what does a shark say?", "Soooo pretty", and "Amen".  We are also starting to notice her independent attitude.  Let's just leave it as this: our little girl knows what she wants, and wants it right then.  She does not like to ask twice....please give us patience when she is a teenager!

We are so proud of Caelin and who she is.  Her beautiful curly hair and bright blue eyes win everyone over immediately.  She is a joy to be around and a true gift to learn from.  WE LOVE YOU Caelin Roe Hall!

Happy New Year!

We pray that this new year brings all our friends and family many blessings!