Aaaaahhhh......Cade is 2.5 years!

Where has the time gone???!! I truly cannot believe Cade is 2.5 years old! Not even sure where to start writing for this blog. Seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital! Unfortunately, due to a stomach bug the other day, we had to go to the doctor. We are all better now, but the doctor measured him in at 38.7 inches tall and 37.5 lbs. So, needless to say, we have a BIG BOY!

Cade is also very intelligent and sometimes a little too smart for his own good! He is starting to recognize the letters "C" and "E" and I think he will pick up letters fast. He can count to 13 (although we get a little mixed up after 10), knows all shapes, and knows all colors (even magenta and the other day he told me "Your shirt not blue is turquoise"....hmmmmm). His language is very advanced and he will string together 2-3 sentences without a breath. He is also known to repeat the same phrase about 20 billion times until you acknowledge him. Our little boy is persistent. In fact, just in the last 2 weeks he has started saying, "No, cause I'm mad!" He uses the phrase at the correct times (anytime we say "no"), and it is usually followed by him throwing a toy or slapping the wall/floor. Currently, this occurs about 10 times per day, so pray this phase passes quickly!

As far as naps/bedtime, he gets about 1.5 hour nap in daily sometime between 2-4pm and will go to bed about 8pm. He is never without "Mr. Froggy" who is his lovey. We still suck our left thumb and are not really sure how to break that habit. I am more concerned about him getting sleep at this point and I guess once potty training is complete we can tackle the thumb sucking. Potty training is going well and we wear underwear most of the time. Cade does well with going peepee on the potty, just not poopoo. He eats just about anything and LOVES his fruit! However, he usually does NOT care for vegetables and we often disguise them with "dipping sauces" at dinner time.

His favorite things to do are: play on phone/computer, watch TV, do puzzles, play outside, read books, play chase (I realize how out of shape I am!), and hide from Baylor. He is full of energy and constantly moving. Favorite TV shows/movies include: Team Umi Zoomi, Little Einstein's, Go Diego Go, Tarzan, and Bob the Builder. About a month ago, he sat through his first Movie with his Daddy ("Puss in Boots"). Charles said he sat quietly and laughed a lot during the movie. Wish I could have been a fly on the wall watching my boys! Everyone is his friend and he is definitely the life of the party anywhere we go. I love to watch him sing songs and talk to his toys. This is such a fun age and his exploration is amazing to watch.

3 recent Cadeism's:
- During an intense disciplinary moment (he had been shoveling water out of the bath in order to "put out the fire") I said, "Look at my eyes Cade" in a firm voice. Cade reluctantly looked at my eyes and then became very concerned. He began to pat me on my back and said, "It be ok Mom, you have bad cracks in your eyes and they hurt you". So, there you have it.
- When a toy fell between the fridge and the wall (Clearly out of his arm reach), Cade yells, "ARMS EXTENDO". Thank you Robot on Team Umi Zoomi for this one.
- When Baylor was trying to lick Caelin, Cade pointed his finger at Baylor and stated, "NO BAYLOR, that is NOT how you treat your baby sister!"

What a ride these last 6 months have been. We look forward to what these next few months will bring. We are so proud of you Cade Beatty and love you "all the way around the world and back again". - Mom and Dad

Taylor Swift says it best...

"Don't you worry your pretty little eyes, people throw rocks at things that shine and life makes love look hard." The last few weeks have been tough in more than one way, but I have come to realize that we are here for ONE REASON....share the great news of Jesus Christ and show love to EVERYONE. And, to be very blunt, every decision that I feel is a "tough one" is really not that tough if I would address the reason above. So, I guess I just solved all the world's problems...

Happy 7 Months Caelin

Well, another month has passed and our Princess is now 7 months. Not sure where the time has gone. I remember waddling in to work at 14 months pregnant (ok, I guess maybe it just FELT like 14 months), and setting up her room. I remember rocking her little 7lbs our first night home and watching Cade light up when his "little baby sister Caelin" needed a kiss from him. Caelin remains to be very even tempered. She hardly cries and is always so patient. Her big eyes have remained a bright blue in color, so we may have to figt off the boys when she is older! I believe she gets the beautiful eye color from my Grandmother, Mary Parks. Grandma's eyes were so beautiful and the bluest I have ever seen! It makes me happy to see those little traits passed on. With her, she is happy sitting in her car seat or swing and watching us cook dinner or cleaning. She is really becoming interactive now as well. She enjoys playing with us and laughs out loud when we play. My absolute favorite is when she is watching you and starts slowly smiling until her pacifier falls out of her mouth! She still mimics what sounds you will make (she loves to talk) and would prefer to be held so that she is in all the action. We still do not have any teeth yet, but anticipate one any day now. I got my first tooth at 7 months and 10 days...so maybe we might see something in 10 days! Cade and Charles both got their first tooth at exactly 6 months and 2 days. So, maybe its a girl and boy thing. :) With her interacting more, she has taken more of an interest in cause/effect toys and anything with music. She plays daily with an "activity center" that Nana/Papa got her for Christmas. She loves to turn the knobs, play with the blocks, and the pop up toys on it. I have caught her a few times in the last few weeks banging the blocks together, so we are improving our fine motor skills! A toy cell phone is also one of her favorites, along with her baby doll. As far as food goes, she likes to eat! She eats a morning/night 7oz bottle with the middle feedings having food. A typical feeding during the day is 2 oz of food, 3 Tbl rice cereal and 5 oz of breast milk. Caelin eats every 4 hours and has eaten just about every vegetable and fruit by now. So, I guess next we might move to stage 2 foods soon. I gotta be honest...I am not liking how fast my babies are growing! For our bedtime routine, Caelin will drink her night time bottle while we read and then we lay her down. She goes to bed on weeknights around 8:30pm and will sleep till about 7:00am. So, she is generally a 10-11 hour sleeper. That is a huge blessing! Pacifiers are still her best friend at this point and we are constantly searching for them under the couch, in the playyard or anywhere else. They seem to bounce, roll, and hide from us! We are constantly amazed at what she is accomplishing and cannot wait to see what this month brings!

We love you Caelin, Mommy, Daddy, Cade & Baylor

Making Caelin's food...

So, I got on a little kick and thought it might be a money saver to make Caelin's food. So, I bought ($40) a "Baby Bullet" from a friend and got to making some food! It was easy with recipes that come with the machine. Depending on what foods you are making, you can use fresh food items, or you may have to steam some items. We made Avocado (you just put fresh in there and hit blend) and Pears/Peaches/Broccoli (have to steam these first). Now we did spend 2 hours to complete all this, but provided baby food for 3 weeks!

Once you puree the foods, you simply pour directly into the containers they provided, or into a 2oz silicone shell that freezes the food! Once it is frozen, you pop it out like a popsicle and store in bags in your freezer. So easy! And, for you nerds out there, I am aware that I mispelled "avocado"...good thing my freezer can't spell!

All we used were: 2 avocados, 2 pears, 3 peaches, and a bag of fresh broccoli. Total Grocery wise these ingredients were under $10. So, $10 for 3 weeks of food. I average about $1.50/day to feed Caelin with store bought food (I ALWAYS use coupons with), which is about $32 for 3 weeks of food. So...here is the bottom line: IF YOU MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD, YOU CAN SAVE ABOUT $40 PER MONTH. I am sold!

The family member often forgotten

Between the needs of an infant and a 2 year old, our sweet Baylor is often forgotten. We got Baylor when he was just 9 weeks old in August of 2003. Until August of 2009 when Cade was born, he was an only child. Before Cade was born, I was worried that he would be jealous or mean to the babies. Boy was I wrong! Baylor has been the PERFECT big brother to Cade and Caelin. Sure there are some times when his roughness gets the best of Cade, but he is always watching over them. When Cade would cry as a baby and I would be in another room, Baylor would come and stare at me as if saying, "Go Mom, he is CRYING!" I catch him laying next to Caelin when I fold laundry, or he will lay next to Cade while he watches a movie in our bed. He has such patience in the times Cade attempts to "saddle up Baylor" and grabs his collar (this is usually followed by a short ride where Baylor drags Cade until Cade lets go of his collar). When we all get home in the evenings, Baylor is there to greet us all with excitement and play. So, although sometimes we forget to stop and give you love, we treasure and LOVE you Baylor. Thank you for all the love you give us daily!

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of us four as babies. I tried to keep the pictures all around the same time frame...but apparently my parents were poor and did not own a camera. So, the closest pic I have of me from my barren baby book is around 11 months. I am not bitter AT ALL. :)

Charles Beatty
Stacy Elizabeth

Cade Beatty

Caelin Roe

Good food, Good friends

Last weekend Charles and I had a date night and met some of our besties at Benjy's in Rice Village. It has been since college since I had seen most of them. My BEST FRIEND Lizzy and I have known each other for 26 years now (I think I counted that right?)! She is the most amazing Christian, smart, dedicated, and faithful woman. Lizzy got brave and brought her boyfriend David. This was the first time we met, and I must say I am THRILLED she has captured such an amazing man! He seemed to really love Lizzy, and that is exactly what she deserves.

So, welcome to the group David! We will be on our best behavior to keep you around! :)