Cade's 1st Day of Preschool!

Today was Cade's first day of Preschool and he was SOOOOO excited!  We had been talking about it for a while and he was excited to go "play with the animal toys" and see Ms. Jodi.  He entered the room and immediately put up his napmat, backpack, and lunch in his cubby and then was off to play.  I did have to interrupt him in the play area to get another kiss before I left (Hey...I wont be able to get this much longer!).  I was surprised I made it out without bawling, although Gamee did not.  We had to stop and let her cry it out in the hallway while I looked away!  When Gamee picked him up this afternoon, he was SOOO tired and had Mr. Froggy already in hand!  He also earned a sticker today that said "star student".  Way to go to our big Cade Beatty!  We love you!

Weekend Update

1- Daddy went dove hunting in Waller, TX on Saturday for opening season.  He only got one bird, and donated that to one of the other guys.  I think the birds are smarter than they know and were hiding from them.  Either way, Daddy enjoyed his adventure with the guys...even if it meant Mommy went hungry.  :(

2- Little Miss Caelin now has 3 teeth coming in up top, and her same two on bottom.  Thus, everyone is warned NOT to put your fingers in her mouth as she will bite down! 

3- Cade had a busy weekend getting ready for Preschool tomorrow.  We had a homework sheet to fill out about Cade.  So, I asked him the questions and wrote his responses down.  Some are pretty funny.  Once we finished homework, he helped pick out his backpack, put his homework/spare clothes in his backpack, lay out his nap mat, and make his lunch.  Of course for his lunch, I tried to make it an exciting sandwich we could make together and even had cute little "monster" zip-locks...but he chose a lunchable.  Figures. 

4- Charles and I got to have a date night in Waco for the first Baylor FB game of the Season!!  We dropped of the kids after church to Gamee/Grampee and then headed out to Waco to see the Bears.  It was the first time in 3 years we did not have kids or the Breast pump while trying to attend a game!  We had so much extra time, so we went shopping and were able to eat a nice dinner in the Letterman's Lounge before kick-off.  We loved having time together, and it made it even better that Baylor Nation won over SMU 59-24!  We are proud of our Bears, Sic 'Em Boys!

Meet the Teacher

Yesterday we had Meet the Teacher for Cade's Preschool at CFBC.  Just the fact that we have now changed names from "Mother's Day Out" to "Preschool" is a hard pill for me to swallow!  Cade was great though and took it all in stride.  He was happy and had fun playing in the class with toys and seeing the other kids.  His teacher, Ms. Jodi, is one of my friends, thus we were SO excited to hear she would be his teacher this year.  I know Cade will grow so much this year and Jodi will be the primary reason.  She is such a caring person with a true heart for children....WE ARE BLESSED!  Her assistant, Ms. Ivana was also so sweet and immediately was helping in the class.  Cade warmed up to them right away.  I am so excited for Cade and cannot wait to see all the amazing things he will do this year!

Our Bedtime Routines

I have wanted to for a long time write down our bedtime routine for the kids to remember.  The other night, I realized the most important thing needed to be documented.  Cade has been saying his bedtime prayer for about 3 months on his own and we are so proud of him.  When Cade was born, Nonnie/Poppie gave him an Angel that when you squeeze it is says this prayer below.  We named the Angel Billy and we are so grateful for what Billy has taught us!  Here is a video of Cade saying his prayer...words below in case sound doesn't work (my computer is being silly).

"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
the Angels watch me through the night,
and keep me in their blessed sight.  Amen."

I also wanted to document the normal bedtime routine.  Below is a sample of what our nights looks like!

• Bath
• Brush Teeth/take vitamins (vitamins are disguised as gummy bears)
• Get PJ's on
• Cade: Climb in bed for book time, prayer as above, then tuck in with a kiss and always a "Sleep good with Jesus"
• Caelin: Read 1 book in rocking chair (she can be a little squirmy...not the reader like Cade is yet), then we sing to her for about 5-10 minutes while rocking.  She is always awake when we arm her with 3 pacifiers (one in mouth and one for each hand) and place her in bed.  Once in bed we always pat her and say "Sleep good with Jesus."
• We are lucky that we have established a routine where bedtime is easy, no fuss, screaming, etc!  Let's hope that continues!

Now as for the songs we sing to Caelin while rocking (same ones as for Cade when he was smaller):\

• "Lord Prepare me to be a Sanctuary"
• "Amazing Grace" 
• "I could sing of your Love forever"
• "Trust and Obey" (this one is for Grandma Parks)
• "Little Brown Jug"/"Just one Rose will do" (this one is for Gangaw Watts)
• And Daddy likes to throw in the "Good Ole Baylor Line" (I laugh when I hear this one through the monitor...brainwashing takes talent folks!)

Big girl!

So, not only did Caelin get her THIRD tooth this week (upper left)...but look what we have been doing all day!  No holding her back now...

I got Mail!

I was so blessed earlier this week to get a SURPRISE in the mail!  My Best Friend of 24 years is getting MARRIED, and had texted saying something was coming in the mail.  I thought it was probably the "Save the Date" or something.  Well, I was SHOCKED when I opened the most thoughtful and BEAUTIFUL invitation!  Along with a heart felt card listing some of the highlights of our years was a note asking if I would be her Matron of Honor.  Honor is RIGHT!  I was overjoyed with tears and am so excited for her special day.  

I was blessed to meet Lizzy (everyone else calls her Elizabeth) sometime around the summer of 1988 when they moved in next door to us in San Antonio.  No one had any idea what would be in store for the two of us as life progressed.  God has shown me so much through Lizzy and I cannot imagine my life without her in it.  Here is a "short" list of my best memories with Lizzy.  I pray that everyone meets their "Lizzy" in life!  

XOXO, BFF "24"

Adventures with Lizzy:

• Homework after school at Lizzy's
• Watching Full House and Pageants on TV
• Little Ceasars Pizza and Homemade Ice Cream
• Slumber parties, slumber parties, slumber parties
• Choreographing dances on my back porch
• Hiding from Mendy when she would babysit us
• Racing during our Baths at night to see who would get in bed first (I think our Mom's might have started this one...hehehe)
• Dressing alike everywhere...or at least color matching
• Defacing the mailbox with keys and getting in SO MUCH TROUBLE
• Halloween (You as a Present and Me as a Punk Rocker)
• Playing in the front yard with Mendy, Richard, and Becah
• LOTS of LETTERS when you moved away (I still have some, which are very comical to read!)
• Visits when in High School
• Phone Calls and chatting long distance
• Attending Baylor U together
• College Roomates
• AXO Sisters (Pledge, SING, Crushes, and MORE)
• Spring Break in Vero Beach with Mimi
• Handing the AXO Presidency over to my Lil and BESTIE
• My Wedding and Kids
• Cruise together this past February
• and finally, opening my mail this week to find my SURPRISE pictured below!  I cannot wait to continue this list for years to come!  

Celebrating Under the Sea

We had a blast today celebrating Cade's 3rd BD with family.  A few weeks ago, we took Cade to Sea World for his BD as a family, so we continued with an "under the sea" theme and cake/ice cream.  Cade's favorite animal on his invitations was the turtle, so we stuck with the turtle theme!  Charles had a slide show of our Sea World pictures on the TV while everyone could enjoy "fish food" (chex mix), lots of sweets, and "turtle tea" (green tea/lemonade).  Gamee of course made Cade's BD cake which was a turtle coming out of the water!  I am continually AMAZED at her works of art!  Cade was so surprised and loved it!  His favorite part of the day was of course opening his presents!  Stephen's presents were a big hit with 25 hot wheels, 5 books, coloring pad, crayons, bubbles, and a boat!  Cade's face was priceless and he was bouncing around on his toes with excitement!  He also loved his new scooter from Nonnie/Poppie, and his outdoor water ball and snake from Uncle Christopher/Aunt Heather!  Cade continued to hop around when he saw the "I spy" book from Aunt Mendy/Uncle Chris/Mackenzie/Jax, although he didn't know what to do (YET) with the iTunes gift card!  Finally, as if he was not blessed enough, Cade opened his gift from Nana/Papa and Gamee/Grampee.  He was SO SHOCKED when he opened up his very own "PONE" (aka: iPod Touch)!  It was so special to see him so happy.  As everyone was leaving, we had party favors at "Cade's Candy Shop."  Everyone had their own bag and could fill it with whatever candy they wanted.  It was truly a day to remember.  Cade said it best when he told Grampee, "Today was a fine day."  I just love my little man!  

And Finally, I had to add this last picture courtesy of Gamee/Grampee!  After the party was over, they took Cade on a special trip to Walmart to buy a "suitcase" for all of his new Hot Wheel Cars from Stephen!  He was so excited about his suitcase and was adorable coming home.  I love this pic of him at Walmart!