Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Kaden!

Today is the day...Baby Kaden is officially one! {sigh..tear}

  
                                    
 I feel like just last month I was sitting in Tri-Age waiting for the verdict to see if  I was going to have this baby before the end of the year.

Here is Kaden's birthday story and a sweet reflection of mommy's denial and daddy's joy that our baby was coming on 12.28.09! 
(If you don't want all the details...then just skip to the bottom).
I have posted a video of the birthday boy eating his first Ice-Cream Cake! It is hilarious!)

The beginning of December, 2009, I was overwhelmed with the fact that I was "supposedly" going to have a c-section about 2 and 1/2 weeks after Christmas. I had no energy and really didn't want to put up any Christmas decorations! Well, I got up the bare minimum up and decorated to make it fun for our then 2 year old, Parker. What I didn't realize is that the "braxton" hicks that I was having on a more "regular basis" were regular consistent contractions...and I was ignoring them till after the holidays!
The Tuesday before Christmas, I was totally struck back! I was already 2cm and 70% effaced...I was at the beginning stages of labor and I was only 36 weeks along. My OB told me that this baby would not make it to the first of the year! I was in denial...We had a plan...this baby was coming by C-Section Jan. 13th! I sort of packed my bags. (But I was fighting God to just get us through Christmas). But I really didn't want my baby before the 1st of the year! However, Daddy DID! Daddy wanted a big Tax break and of course have the baby fall on the old insurance plan!  I really think Mike had a big talk with God! Mike was thrilled that I was having more and more "contractions" on a regular basis as the month came to an end! Well, we made it through Christmas and I was thrilled Baby stayed in.
Well just two days later I was miserable. Sunday night, December 27, I awoke at 4AM with contractions every 3-8 minutes. I refused to call my Doctor... I could NOT possibly be in labor? So instead, I got in the tub and tried to relax. I still had 3 weeks to go. I dealt with the pain till my office opened at 9AM and just asked if I could come in! I got a call back within 15 min and my OB insisted on me heading to the Hospital. I of course had to be convinced by the nurse to go to the hospital! I had to get Parker situated. I had to call Mike and get him home from work! *(Yeah, he went to work...that morning...I let him go!) We made it to Kennestone by noon and we sat in Tri-age for 5 hours! I was begging to go home and had SO much to do. After all, I had been having contractions on and off for almost 1 month. My OB put me on Tributilin to try and stop the contractions...but nothing worked. This baby (and we didn't know if Kaden was a boy or a girl) was coming out tonight! I thought I could make it another week. Ha! I didn't win that battle. At 5:30 PM on December 28th, 2009, Kaden arrived via c-section. I was thrilled my OB worked it out to be there!

 So, December 28th officially became Kaden's birthday and so we celebrate our sweet boy today and each year to come just 3 days after Christmas! God DID answer my prayer for this baby to have a birthday any day besides Christmas. It was SO worth it to have him before the end of the year.  It was ALL God's perfect timing~My in-laws came down (because my mother in law had a week off since she was a teacher), so they were able to assist us with Parker for the week!~ and for that we are truly grateful!

 The year has been a long one with many illnesses, sleepless nights at the beginning, getting Kaden beyond his Reflux and adjusting to life as a family of four and balancing our everday responsiblities! BUT it has been so rewarding to have him as a part of our family! His laugh lights up the room, his smile melts our hearts, his love for Parker and just the fact that he LOVES his mama makes me melt and Parker's love for him is precious! It is truly a joy to be his mommy and daddy and we are so honored that God has chosen Kaden for our family! We pray that one day you will come to know the Lord, Kaden and know how much he loves you and how much we love you!

 Here is a sweet video of us singing "Happy Birthday" to Kaden and he is checking out his FootBall Ice-Cream Cake. (We have a tradition to eat Ice-Cream Cake on the real birthdays around here!)
Let's just say -He LOVED it!

Video (Part 1)


Attacking the cake video...(Part 2)



We had a fun day celebrating Kaden. NeNe flew in for Christmas and Kaden's special birthday! So, we met Daddy for lunch! Tonight for dinner, NeNe, made homemade Maple Turkey Burgers and ended the night with a Carvel-Football Ice-Cream Cake! So fun to have celebrated our boy all day today!




WOW-What is this??!!?

(Yummy-I love it on my face...I wonder how good it really is?!)

(Not enough...I need to pick up the whole thing)

(Now this is GOOD and I LOVE it!)

Happy 1st Birthday Kaden A.K.A ("Sweet Pea, Chunk of Love, Tank, Mommy's boy, Baby Kaden),
Daddy, Mommy and Parker love you!

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Rough month...Disney get-a-way!

The week before Thanksgiving we began with a handful of illnesses. We totaled 19 days of illness and it got to be discouraging for me! I had many sleepless nights and I vented to my mom many mornings over texting at the yuckY 3am! I am the first to count my blessings that God has given us 2 sweet boys. However, there are moments in the midst of non stop illness that you have to mentally look hard for some joy. There is no such thing as a day off when you are a S.A.H.M! I am so thankful for other friends who are in this role and choose to give "breaks" to me! It has been a huge joy to have Joy and David finally here. They live about 2 miles from us and have jumped in to help me and Mike often. We had, pink eye, ear infections, hives, colds, asthma flare up and Strep throat all in 19 days time frame. About 2 months before Thanksgiving, Mike signed up to play in Orlando for a softball tournament. We agreed in Sept.that we'd make a family trip out of it. Little did we know that it would be so needed. However, the week before we went, I doubted that we would make it. Parker was SO sick w his strep. Thankfully, I found the energy to pack for us all and we made it. It was the first time for me, Parker and Kaden to go to Magic Kingdom! 33 years old and I finally made it to the most Magical place on earth! We had perfect weather, happy boys and 9 hours of complete fun. Parker lit up when we ran into Woody from Toy story! He was excited to see the characters all over but seeing Woody and being able to ride on a real train was the icing on his cake! I have tons of photos. Not only have we been I'll..but so has my computer.It has a virus and a friend is fixing it. So, when I get it back I will upload photos from our trip.
God really knew we needed the trip. It was a great trial for an upcoming drive we will be making in Jan to NY to attend Mike's auntS wedding. The boys did great...thanks to our spacious van, a DVD player and a mommy that could sit in the back and entertain while daddy drove! Memories for sure...we will cherish! I know in 5 years I will laugh at the rough month we had, but seriously....no more illnesses for the rest of 2010! We hope you all have a Merry Christmas...and stay warm!

Christmas Card 2010

With Love Blue Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas Card 2010~50 FREE CARDS SHUTTERFLY DEAL

 December First has arrived and that means our mailbox will soon be greeted with MANY cards from our beloved family and friends. I am really thinking about investing in a Christmas card wreath because we get SO many cards each year, I think we got over 50 cards last year. Ever since Mike and I were married, we have faithfully mailed out 50+ cards. (If you are not on our list and would like one...sign up now! I don’t want to leave you out :)

Blogging Mama's, don’t miss out the deal for 2010! This year, Shutterfly is giving 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers! That is right-you can save some cash for some extra gifts this year and get really nice cards thanks to Shutterfly! Once you have signed up, they will contact you via email and share the steps with you to get you in on this great deal. Now, that is the way to start off the Christmas spirit and make this blogging mama SO excited to have some extra cash still in our holiday budget! Yippee!
.....Ha-Ha! One problem! The family photos?? Now, what to do for our 2010 cards? Mike LOVES going out and posing for that perfect Christmas card photo ... (NOT)! I actually am in love with some of these cards and thinking I may stick with one of these this year, because after all-a posed photo is not as exciting as candid right?
 Here is my #1 Favorite (Monogrammed  B/W candid) that I think we MAY do! I am a HUGE Fan of monogramming...and this allows me to pick 4 favorites of our boys and of course place 2 all time favorites of our whole family! What do you think?

And of course....they offer great add ons like these matching address labels....so cute!

Here is my #2 pick.....The traditional POSED FAMILY PHOTO
(IF I force all 4 of us to go out for that POSED photo of us currently!)
I love the striking poinsettia/paisley look at the bottom! (I am in the red mood today :)

And my #3 favorite is 2010 chcolate brown monogrammed collage! I love all the photos in color...and I love the color brown! I think this is elegant and I love the year displayed on the card.

We will see what really comes during Christmas card order time for me! Ha-ha (I always stress myself out and get those matchy-matchy coordinating outfits...for that perfect card!) But we have over 1,000 photos on the computer and we did have family photos taken in August, thanks to Jason Pendley, who did an AWESOME JOB!! Mike, you may be lucky this year and not have to get all dressed up for cards after all! LOL

This December is a big milestone for us, since Kaden, will be turning 1! So, I have allot on my mind for his first birthday and of course the Christmas to-do-lists! Therefore, I am in love with this 1st Birthday announcement for our little guy!

You must check out some of the great calendars you can make for the grandparents! Such a great gift if you are not sure what else to get the precious grandparents!
Don't forget to check out the deal for 50 free cards if you are a blogging mama!
What do you think?
Care to weigh in on which card I shall pick for our family?
Please share your thoughts and do let me know your address so you can see which one we end up choosing!  {wink}
Happy December to all :)

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THANKSGIVING Acrostic 2010

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
 My time as a SAHM was completely captured the whole two weeks before the holiday. I had two sick little boys, and 1 sick daddy. I was not able to get on here and post some daily things that I wanted to post. I was really getting discouraged and had a rough two weeks. I was getting worried that we would  not be celebrating Thanksgiving at all.
Parker and Kaden both landed in the Pediatrician's office the Wed. before Thanksgiving with ear infections. Poor Kaden was really sick. It was his first ever and it was VICIOUS. He had  (DOUBLE) ear infections and ended up on two antibiotics before we saw any improvement and drop in a HIGH fever. All of that caused me to go with LITTLE SLEEP for about 72 hours. Rest seemed like an eternity away when I was coping with him. I must not forget one other detail ;Parker was getting over Pink Eye from the weekend before and Mike was coming down with a 24 hour bug! To top it all, the Thursday before Thanksgiving-I got a 12 hour bug or had a mild case of food poisoning-causing Mike to re-arrange his work schedule that AM. Hallelujah! We survived and we are well! We had a beautiful Thanksgiving with some friends from our church small group. It was a joy to have a break from cooking this year. We missed celebrating with Mike's family but we hope to be together next year with them for Christmas.
 So, I am finally getting to post my Thankfulness in a unique way.
I have not done this in a LONG time, but it was fun to do and I need to do this yearly!
(Christy has a great ABC Thanksgiving List and it motivated me to share this way.(Since I didn't get to do my top ten list).
So here is my acrostic for THANKSGIVING-from my view as a S.A.H.M....

T-Time spent with the Lord and his word and being home with my boys=Priceless
H-Hugs and happy giggles from Parker & Kaden, and Hershey Kisses
A-Amazing Husband who loves me, accepts me and  appreciates me for all my flaws and goes above and beyond to  be the best husband for me and daddy to our boys! (So much more I could say here).
N-Nap time (no other comment needed here)!?
K-Kids-Parker our favorite red-headed 3 year old & Kaden our newest addition and beautiful blue- eyed boy
S-Starbucks Vanilla Chai Tea Latte with non-fat skim milk (a therapy drink this year :)
G-Girls Night Outs...(SO AWESOME to have them when I can get them).
I-Incredible parents (my parents & in-laws) doubly blessed
V-Valuable friends who take the time for me, our family and help us out when we really need it
I-Internet-My connection with so many dear and far away; I am forever grateful for the support it brings to connect with so many!
N-New Beginnings; No day is ever a repeat of the "rough days" as a S.A.H.M. and God's word reminds me of this sweet promise-  Lamentations 3:22-23  "Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
G-God! His love, strength and most of all salvation for me...I could not be the wife, and Mom today if I didn't have him!
What would your THANKSGIVING Acrostic say?
Can't wait to read your acrostics!
Happy Thanksgiving to all :)

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10 Days till Thanksgiving...

So here is the countdown for my top 10 list:
#10
Today, I am SO thankful for a great night of sleep.
We have NOT seen that in a long while!
Rough weekend~
Kaden is cutting tooth number 7 and 8 and has an awful cough=not a happy 10 and 1/2 month old!
Parker has been battling a 5 or 6 AM wake up with the NEW time change and just got diagnosed with PINK EYE yesterday =a miserable 3 year old!
So, NO sleep on Saturday night was a long day on Sunday!
Last night everyone SLEPT ALL night...thanks to GREAT Urgent care that got us in and out in 1 hour, medicine for Parker's eye and albuteral (brathing treatment medicine for Kaden).
All of this allowed us to get the boys in bed at a decent time and we all slept till 7:15 AM!
YIPPEE
So happy for ALL the nights we have no events and get great sleep.

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Trick or Treat...SU Style

This was Kaden's first "Halloween" and I had all these great ideas of what I wanted to dress him up as. Since he was called our little "sweet pea" when I was pregnant with him, I thought it would be cute to order this!

 Or even order this,when I was considering Parker to be "Peter Pan" with his red hair.

But Parker doesn't know Peter Pan and a baby Pirate was not fitting for Kaden.

So, as the end of October neared Mike came up with Parker's costume and together we decided on Kaden's. Daddy actually WON the vote!

 Parker LOVED it and I was thrilled with the $10.00 expense total...Thanks Target! All we had to buy was Kaden's costume. We had EVERYTHING for Parker!

 And yes, the helmet is an original SU that Mike collected at Camp BaYouCa in the Skit Night Costume Box when he was a counselor, about 10 years ago! LOL
And a very fitting costume for our "chunk of love" or shall we say Quarter Back, Kaden!
Kaden was Parker's Football!

Shockingly the SU Football team is doing well!

What a great year to have the boys dress up for SU!

Mike and I were both brought up in homes where we were taught to unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting~we were taught to recognize the good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan.

Therefore, we choose carefully how we participate in the holiday's and make sure that we are bringing glory to God. I think we can provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a “teachable moment” to celebrate God’s protection, provision and purpose for our lives.

Therefore, it was fun weekend with the family as we enjoyed the fall fun with neighbors and close friends. The Ashworth's joined us as well as the Langhan's. The kids LOVED spending the night at our local Fall Fest in the neighborhood, and getting the treats at the door. It was Trey's first time to Trick or Treat, and I am still not sure if he had more fun getting candy or ringing the "button" on the houses to get the candy?

 Charlotte-the Sweet Cupcake

(Parker chatting with his Pirate buddy-Trey)

\

(Joy snuggling with Jonathan the Giraffe!-So sweet :)

Mommy and Daddy with the boys

A little highlight of the weekend was seeing Baby Kai all dressed up as a little pumpkin! Parker got to meet him at the neighborhood festival and he just starred at him. He was taking it all in :) ...Such a little miracle and so happy Kai got home from the Hospital o celebrate the day with his family!

Looking forward to the next two months as we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas!

So much to be thankful for and grateful to God for his gift to us all.

:)

 

Daddy's Boy and Mommy's Boy

Parker is our Daddy's boy.
He has grown very attached since baby Kaden arrived). The past few weeks Parker has been saying some of the funniest things -and a couple sayings are worth "blogging" about. He sure knows how to melt my heart and make me and his daddy laugh!
Wednesday morning when Mike was leaving-Parker insisted on doing his morning ritual;

•  walk daddy out to the car in the garage 
• wait for daddy to start the car and help him shut the door then...
•  Parker gives him a kiss (through the window) and then I walk Parker back inside.

But that morning I was upstairs with Kaden and unavailable.However, I heard their conversation and it made me laugh so hard my stomach was hurting!
Mike said good bye and Parker was saying "Bye Dad! ~Go Make Some Money!" Have a good day! Go make some money! O.K!?
HILARIOUS!!
I am so glad that Parker has caught on to daddy's job-he makes some money! :)
Another funny thing we are laughing at these days is Parker's confusion with "Pun-kins" and Snowmen!
Yup-two completely different seasons yet one determined three year old mind made up! Pumpkins are called "snowman!" And if you try and correct him HE WINS the discussion. Or we have a major meltdown, with the full red-head temperamental fit included! Trust me here,even his pre-school teachers are tuned in at pre-school on this one. Pumpkins are his favorite color, orange, and his favorite shape-circle. But we have one small confusion..."NOT PUN-KINS-"THEY ARE SNOWMAN!"

 We live in GA and I am still trying to figure out this one??!
LOL... I guess he loved making a snowman with the Hoeyes in March. He saw snowmen only on the lawns. So, now "pun-kins" are on the lawns therefore, they are "orange snowman!"

Our Mommy's Boy is Baby Kaden.

I am sure it has alot to do with the boys birth order and favoring a particular parent. But, it is great for us that each of the boys prefers a specific parent. Makes the night-time load easier for us both.
Kaden is such a charmer and has me wrapped around his finger He has just begun the "separation anxiety" phase. The night time fits have begun at bed time. And I am not budging...but he is our baby. So, I budge a little. However, he is a great sleeper and napper (when I am not on the run from errands while P is at pre-school).
We are so excited that he is officially 10 months old today! It has been a fun journey in deed! Especially the last two months...and the photos can explain well. He is fascinated with any new looking object, but some how he has a deep longing and desire to bond with the dog food and water dish.

 Guess we don't need to get him much for his birthday? LOL
We love you baby Kaden-Happy 10months :)

(...taken with my phone camera..not the clearest...but maybe the cutest yet of our chunk of love)
We are so smitten and love them both!

Grateful to God for both of our sweet boys :)
AND a sneak peak at our little "trick-or-treater's" this year ....(again another photo from my phone)

Go "Orange!" (Our football player and our football baby!)

thirty something?

That's right? Last week I turned "thirty-something" and life has been BUSY in my thirties! (And I thought being a teacher was tough....!)

I hear that "life begins at 30!" In alot of ways I can agree.

My immediate family is still being established but DID begin in my 30's.  I am so grateful for another year that God allowed me to have with my family. In many ways-I survived my first year as a mommy of two kids. 

I have many days that I want to run back into the classroom of 20+ third graders and have a break from the boys! Teaching a class of third graders is much easier some days then being a SAHM.

LIFE BEFORE my boys as a teacher:

•  I had scheduled breaks
• I had an Aid
• I never had to get the kids dressed or bathed for class
•  they all were doing the same task (ok 98% of class was doing the same thing)
• I had a begin and end to my teaching day
• I had weekends off!

Life AFTER my boys as a SAHM~

• No such thing as a scheduled break when you are a SAHM -
• 3-4 days a week I can usually get a "scheduled" break and get them both down for a nap.
• I have an AID -her name is Abbey (she is a DOG)~ BUT...She cleans up the floor for me after lunch time. You should consider a small dog if you have young children. They come in handy.
• Unfortunately, I have to get the boys dressed daily and I love it-bath time Daddy steps in THANK GOODNESS!
• Usually the boys are doing different things-some day they will be doing the same thing? Right? 
• SAHM-is 24/7 and I am thankful when I can have a window of time from daddy to myself.
• Weekends don't exist as a SAHM-BUT weekends are relaxing for me! Daddy is home and we usually take 1 of the days each to "sleep in" while the other takes care of the boys!

Yup, hardest job ever is being a SAHM~ BUT-I love it. I don't want to go back to my teaching world right now. Though, some days I am easily enticed too. I must say that this is my life in my "thirties-something" and  I love it even though I LONG for the breaks by myself! I often find myself singing, Isaiah 40:31-because some of my days are SO long and I have nothing left of me. But that is when I need to wait upon the Lord, run to him for strength and he will renew it EACH day for me! I can NOT do this "MOM" thing alone~ NOPE! I know that the time I have alone with my Lord is so vital to my overall outlook on my day. And it is so tempting to just stay in bed a few extra minutes. BUT, I love those moments (that I can get SOME mornings-when the house is quiet and I can be alone and get in that shower, spend some time in the word and make a high protein breakfast). This does not always happen each morning. So, I am cherishing the mornings and moments I can get alone! I know that in about 5 years it will be a norm to have some children that understand what it means to give mommy "alone" time. But right now, they need me-I cherish it and I appreciate a loving husband who understands me and my breaking points. I have seen a bigger picture now that I am a mom and have seen what really matters most and that is time with my family and capturing it all. But I LOVE it when I get time to myself and  have some time with my friends too...you know...GNO! It makes me a better mom when I can get some down time with my girls :)

Me and Pam :)

Some of my sweet friends took the time out from their families to celebrate with me.
Thanks for a fun night and looking forward to our next night out!

(I have been very lucky to celebrate many birthdays with Joy~ She came to visit me 5 years ago for my birthday (and that was the weekend she met her hubby) so fun to have one of my closest friends living in town :)

 Sweet friends from my MOPS group who loved to come out for a break...and we love to go out and celebrate birthdays! (Great excuse to get out and have down time!:)

 Lorelei and me...taken on 10.12 and baby Kai arrived 1 week later!
 (I will post soon about his arrival! Such an awesome joy to have him here!)

 Me and Samantha :)

Grateful to God for my sweet friends and three of the greatest gifts ever...my hubby and two sweet boys!