Caden Joseph

It's Never Ending ....

2012-01-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago ... I was thinking (secretly getting excited) that maybe we just weren't going to get large amounts of snow this winter. Well ... In one week we've accumulated 13 inches of snow .... On our walk yesterday Caden told me, "Mom, we like sun, huh?! We don't like snow".

I wouldn't mind the snow .... if it also brought extra hours in the day ... or if I could stay home all day. When it snows, it's still business as usual. I still have to get out the door in the morning, Caden to daycare, and to work on time ... on lunch I still have to get Caden from school and back to daycare in an hour .... however with the snow, I have to drive slower. Junk!

I am so over this and ready for spring ... but in the meantime, we have found the fun in it.

... and we take warm baths after the fun outside!

... just to play outside more, the next day ...

... and some days we stay inside where it's warm ... and look at the pretty outside from the inside.

A little sledding fun on an early Saturday afternoon ...

... and after an hour of this fun ... I asked Caden when he wanted to go home ... his reply, "when it gets dark". Nice try buddy!

Football Snack Playoff Sunday ~ Caden's favorite day ~ complete with his personal menu!

.... did I mention more snow is in the forecast for tomorrow! I need a one way ticket south ...

ENT & Camp Korey

2012-01-16T23:30:00.000-08:00

Thursday we headed to Seattle for Caden's follow up ENT appointment for his ear tubes that were put in the end of November. The tubes look fine ... and he had his hearing re-checked. His hearing test shows moderate hearing loss in the left ear and mild hearing loss in the right. The audiologist seemed more concerned then the ENT doctor.

I will talk with his pre-school teacher and check with his speech therapist he used to see, get their opinions, and decide from there if we need to do anything further.

We met my parents for dinner Thursday night, stayed at Uncle Scot's, went to Bell Square Friday, stopped by to see Uncle Chris ...then it was time to head to .... *** Camp Korey ***

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Camp Korey! Going into this weekend, I didn't know what to really expect. It's called camp ... I knew there were "cabins" ... so I was thinking rustic cabin, outside fires, muddy, etc. ~ But it was none of that. Everything is fairly new. The older buildings have been restored and are gorgeous (a house that was built in 1914). The rooms are more like hotels and or dorms. ... and the best part (for Caden) was they had bunk beds! The food, wonderful. I was anticipating cafeteria food, not so!

Last summer, was the first week long Skeletal Dysplasia camp for kids ages 7-15. And this year they had the first Family Weekend for kids ages 5-15. Since Caden is two months away from 5 (how can that be?) they allowed us to attend :o) I just cannot express the experience this provides for our LP kiddos. Now, that the weekend has come and gone and we experienced camp, I think Caden was a little young for this weekend. It was alot. Activities till 9:30 Friday night, and activities yesterday from 7:30am to 9:30pm. I hope next year he is able to absorb more of it ~ and for sure the week long camp, (not so sure he will be ready at 7) in a few years.

The opportunity for these kiddo's to spend a week with "friends" who are just like them ... face the same physical challenges ... and no one is looking at them with wonder as to why they appear "different". Awesome!

The staff at Camp Korey ... phenomenal! The volunteers ... super ... the "camper pals" (cabin counselors) fun! In the picture below, the guy on the far right ... belongs in Hollywood ... seriously entertaining! They have volunteer doctors and nurses on staff the entire weekend from Seattle Children's ... so neat.

The kids played games, did arts and crafts, climbed the climbing wall (Caden was going to try, but then after waiting in line, psyched himself out), sang camp cheers, played basketball (they lower the hoops), played musical instruments, had scavenger hunts ...there were so many options ...

These two might just become the next teen heart throbs with their rock star music :o)

The weather was the only thing to be desired for the weekend. It rained ... then turned to snow! But that didn't stop the kids. The grounds at Camp Korey are amazing! Everything is so well maintained.

Saturday night was "stage night". The kiddos can dress up, and dress up their "camper pals" then they perform on stage.

Caden had fun putting makeup and finger nail polish on our "camper pal" ... and goofing around on stage. Once it was time for the actual performances, they turned off the lights, turned on the spotlight and Caden was ready to go ... it was a little after 8, and he was done ... so to bed we went.

It snowed like crazy Sunday morning! If you click on the snow picture below, it will appear larger. You might be able to see Caden's orange jacket in the middle of the picture. Crazy. Crazy. Snow. Caden "opted" out of the closing ceremonies. If you look in the other picture below, you see Caden standing outside the window, waving inside to his buddy, who is waving back at him. Really?! Caden, must you be the class clown? He had had enough structured activities ... again, why I think he might be a little young for all this fun.

After breakfast and the closing ceremonies it was time to wrap up our fun. They had more activities planned for the morning ... but since Seattle doesn't "function" in the snow, everyone had to start heading home. Which was okay, since we had two mountain passes to get over. So we packed up our "Chia Pet" and the rest of our goodies and said our goodbyes. As we pulled away, Caden looked behind out the back window and said, "bye Camp Korey, see you next year".

Caden slept the whole way home. Didn't wake up until the truck shut off in the driveway .... that's a good measure, that Caden had fun ... he was exhausted :o)

I don't want to wish away Caden's years ... I will continue to enjoy each stage ... but I am happy to know that he has a week at Camp Korey each summer in his future! The amazing part about our FUN weekend at Camp Korey ... it didn't cost us a PENNY! Why? Because of donors. We don't ever want Camp Korey to go away, due to lack of funding. So, I ask this of you ... if you are looking to make a non-profit donation ... or ... if your company is looking for a non-profit to sponsor ... Please! consider donating to Camp Korey! What an awesome gift to give kids who may just be a little different then the majority of their peers. http://campkorey.org/

Thank You Camp Korey for a fun weekend!

Better Yet?!

2012-01-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

Caden came down with a cold on December 9th ... and it hasn't left. Ahhh! I feel like I have a newborn again ~ I NEED him to sleep through the night. We treated with antibiotics for a sinus infection around Christmas ~ then last weekend he seemed to start getting worse again, instead of better. It was another week of the nebulizer!

The only good news is, we've stayed out of the hospital ~ His cough isn't nearly as bad today ... I'm hoping this virus is on its way out ... and no more germ bugs are lingering! I need sleep!

Caden received his term 1 progress report last week. He is doing well. The comments section reads, "Caden is a sweet boy (really?). I truly enjoy having him in my class. Caden is very ready for Kindergarten. He correctly identified 10 letters. He counted to 11. He counted 10 objects and correctly identified numbers up to 10. He correctly pointed to and named all 9 colors. He correctly pointed to and named all 7 shapes. I look forward to challenging Caden through out the rest of the year."

After reading this to him he asks daily, "Mom, is it time for Kindergarten?" ... not just yet.

Have a Great Week!

Where did he go?!

2012-01-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

I think it's official ... I no longer have a toddler/little boy on my hands ... he's growing up! After about ten minutes of he and Dad playing X-Box or Wii ... I have to find my earplugs.

I think I'm ready for spring and summer outside activities .... Are we really only two weeks into the official "winter" season? Sigh!

Good Morning 2012 and

2012-01-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

... SNOW!

Yes, I jinxed it - In the five hours from when I posted last night and woke up this morning we received a couple of inches of snow - go figure!

This picture is SO Caden right now ... especially today!

I think he is ready to go back to school and to childcare... Mom & Dad are not as much fun as his friends .... these brown eyes show every ounce of mischief and naughtiness! Caden has had a lingering cough for about three weeks now and a sinus infection. He's on antibiotics ... and I hope he is at the tail end of it ... his cough was really "goopy" last night so he didn't sleep well. He was ROTTEN today ... I couldn't get him to bed soon enough tonight!

... snow and a rotten kid ... the year can only get better from here, right?! Happy New Year!

Wrapping Up 2011

2011-12-31T23:30:00.000-08:00

Wow! How did we just wrap up the last week of 2011?! CRAZY! ~ and amazingly our last week was pretty darn relaxing ....

What is wrong with me?! Life with a four year old is not relaxing. Clearly my definition of relaxing has changed over the last four years. How about this ... we had no appointments, no work, no school, no travel ... we stayed home, ran a few errands here and there ... Four days of housework and play. I'll take it!

... did you ever know waiting for the garbage man to come down the street could be so exciting?

... a little playtime with our buddy. Looking for Care Bears in the clouds. I dont think they succeeded ...

Yes, we still live in North Central Washington ... and yes we are rolling into January ... and I know, it's crazy ~ We don't have any snow! The snow we received back in November came and totally melted. This is so out of the ordinary ... We played outside this week, at times without a coat. NUTS! I'm loving it. Caden is loving it ... and I hope come August we don't regret all this lovin of the sunny weather when we are dealing with a drought. ... but for now we will continue to enjoy every minute of it!

I don't love that Caden is into guns. I despise it. But Dan says it is okay. and I guess when you see the cuteness of Dan & Caden playing in their own little imaginary world ... I guess I think it is a little okay?!

Mr. Caden was more excited to try out my new food processor then I was. He's been begging all week. So today we made Salsa ... and while we were in the kitchen we also made cupcakes.

we took another walk ...

Kickin it while playing the x-box ....

Wrapping up the year with a yummy dinner & margaritas!

....I finally got with the times .... Yes, the kids at school would give me a hard time about my old school flip phone (really, I didn't see any wrong with it) :o) Dan bought me an iPhone for Christmas. So ... here's a little iPhone photo dump for you.

Oh, you should see the attention we get in the store now ... with his own little cart ... sigh!

Wishing you a WONDERFUL 2012 ~ Thank you for all of your kind comments and your continued reading of our adventures!

Christmas Travels

2011-12-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

Friday we headed to the Seattle side of the state to spend the Holiday with our family. We spent Friday & Saturday at my parents. As soon as we arrived Caden wanted to open his presents. Poor Kid, we confused him since Santa came to our house early. Don't know how many more years we can try and pull that one off.

My parents gave in and said he could open one present, of course he was insistent on the one he picked being the biggest one under the tree.

Yes, his very own set of real golf clubs ~

We toured the Christmas lights in my parents neighborhood ... but Caden was less then impressed. He was much more interested in wanting to eat all the cookies I made.

My Dad & Dan went golfing on Saturday while my Mom prepared for our Christmas Eve gathering ... my Mom's side of the family is 30 plus people. It was fun watching my Mom deal with Caden wanting to help each step of the way ;o)

It was quite a feat to get Caden to take a nap .... but I was so glad he did. It made for a much happier boy that night. He was so excited for "all of our family" to come over. His silliness was in full force.

At one point during the day Caden looked around and said, "I have so many presents because so many people love me and I'm the cutest boy in the whole world". Love his confidence ... if only he can keep that level of confidence through out life :o)
I'm digging that Caden got his very own shopping cart just his size. I'm hoping this will make our trips to the grocery store easier. He always insist on pushing the shopping cart on his own ...which makes me crazy!

We all had fun watching Caden and Cousin Caroline play ... they only see each other once a year. But it is pretty darn cute ... and we recruited Cousin Kristina to help the kiddo's make smores (Thanks Kristina!)

Santa (otherwise known as Grammy & Pa-Pa) arrived at my Mom's house Christmas morning. One Spoiled kid!

After breakfast we headed North to Dan's parents. Caden was thrilled to get the boat from Cars2. We left the Disney store a couple weeks ago in tears because he couldn't have that boat. Santa (this time known as Uncle Chris) came through.

I think these two are on Christmas Overload Wind Down. Two tired kiddo's!

Christmas night we stayed at Willows. This has become a tradition for us, not intentionally, just kind of the way it has worked out. When we checked in they offered us an upgrade to the nicest suite ... and when we got to our room there was a card, bottle of wine and cheese platter. The card thanked us for our multiple stays. Score!

I love it there ... and someone else does as well! Caden slept till 8:30 Monday morning (which is unheard of) ~ we ate breakfast ~ and then walked around the grounds.

We would have loved to stay one more night ... but it was time to get back to reality and head home.

Thank you to our family who spoiled Caden rotten this weekend! Our house is bursting at the seams ... I think we have enough inventory to open our own Toys R Us store ... and for those who gave the little bugger money, Thank You!!! ~ we will use it for Dallas this year ~ much appreciated!!!

Santa Arrived

2011-12-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

Santa arrived at our house a couple of days early this year ... He knew we wouldn't be at our house Christmas morning .... we set out the cookies & milk for Santa and the carrots for the reindeer. The tree was ready ... and we "settled in for a long winters nap". ...Originally Caden wanted to leave corn dogs for Santa, but then realized they would be cold when Santa got here, so he changed his mind. (Silly Kid)

Caden actually slept till 6:45 before coming in to wake us up. Caden totally gets the Santa concept this year ... he couldn't rip into that stocking fast enough.

YES! One spoiled boy ~ and if you didn't figure it out, it was all about the Lego's and Cars 2 this year :o)

Elf left Caden the cute green photo album with the snowmen. There was a note attached from Elf along with a picture of Elf each day he was at our house. Love that Elf! When I asked Caden if he was going to miss Elf he said, "No Mom, it will be okay. Don't be sad, he will come back next year". Love it!

The awesome thing about Lego's is you Never Outgrow Them ... even at 30 something you still think they rock ~ at least Dan does :o)

Needless to say, Caden loved all of his presents. He thanked us repeatedly and at bedtime told me he wished Santa could come everyday.

Hoping you had a Merry Christmas ... up next our Holiday travel ~

{Merry Christmas}

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

~ Holiday Happenings ~

2011-12-22T22:50:00.000-08:00

I really think when one becomes a parent they should grow six extra arms and be given a whole lot of extra patience. Attempting to make dinner ... with a little help. Notice the shredded cheese all over the floor, evidently the boots had to come off during this time, and it appears the otoscope ended up in the kitchen and on the floor as well. Sigh! ... just another night in our house!

We headed up to Leavenworth Tuesday night ... I'm so lucky we have found South (yummy restaurant) because now it is easier for me to convince Dan to head that way .... Basil Margarita, he's all over it.

Love all the holiday lights! ... and an attempt at a festive picture of the kiddo ... ya, he doesn't have a pause button. It's all in motion!

We spent yesterday morning baking ... again, refer to above ... I need patience. Sigh! Sugar cookies, Gingerbread Men and Spritz cookies ~ Done!

Our yucky inversion has finally lifted and we have had a couple of gorgeous days! As we were heading out to do errands yesterday I asked Caden if I could take a few pictures of him on the porch ... lost cause.

Seriously, I am loving it, December 22nd and no snow! Sunny ... cold (low to mid 30's), but sunny! and I will take it. ~ and Mr. Caden digs it as well!

Last night we headed over to a neat house a few blocks from us. They go all out and invite you to get out of your vehicle and walk around their front yard. Caden loves it ...

He had so much fun running around their yard he conked out on the way home. Hooray, I love an easy bedtime!

and A little more from our Elf ....

Caden was excited to see Elf left another scavenger hunt ... this time with 10 clues.

Wishing you a Wonderful Holiday!

Holiday School Fun

2011-12-18T21:30:00.000-08:00

Geesh ... I was beginning to wonder if Caden was in college with the amount of goodies we brought to school last week. Small gifts for bartering, candy for gingerbread houses, a book for a book exchange and a treat for their Polar Express party ... and of course I couldn't not send teacher gifts.

I attempted to make these cute snowmen doughnuts that I had seen in a magazine ... by snowman number fifteen, I was ready to go crazy ... why do things always look easier in the magazine?! Darn Martha Stewart!

When I picked Caden up on Friday it made all the work of getting ready for the week worth it. He was cheesin' it up, had frosting all over his face, the traditional homemade ornament (that does not look like my kid in the picture on the ornament) and the one of a kind graham craker milk box house. He wore his jammies to school for their Polar Express party and Santa made a visit. (no pictures-no Mommies & Daddies there - junk!).

Now it's hooray for 17 days of no work or school :o) He's starting it off in style .. the way this kid relaxes cracks me up!

We were spoiled to get to see AJ (and his Momma) two weekends in a row ~ they were visiting Grandma in town, and squeezed in time to meet us for lunch today.

These two are too much! I fear for their camp counselors in the future (they will be up to no good) and the girlies at the conventions better watch out ... these boys are pretty darn cute!

Incase you were wondering ... Elf is still up to no good ~

I can't believe this is the last week before Christmas. Crazy!

••• Santa & Catchin Up •••

2011-12-14T23:55:00.000-08:00

I like to think of Caden as any other child .... however, when his role playing consist of, "Dad, lay down. I am going to put this mask on you. It smells like strawberries. It will make you sleepy and you will take a nap. Then when you wake up I will roll you down the hall to the wake up room and your Mom & Dad will be there". Toooooo friggin much ~ I don't think many four year old roll playing consist of "anesthesia". I love the serious look on Caden's face and the fact that Dan so nicely plays along :o)

Caden is really into imaginary play right now ... I don't love that he is into guns (I've been told that this is ok ~ I might disagree) ... He and Dan look for "monsters" and "pirates" almost daily. ... the other day he asked to watch Power Rangers. Really?! What happened to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? I don't think I like this almost five years old thing!

Saturday, we headed west for the Seattle LPA Chapter Christmas party. We were so happy to see AJ. The cuteness of these two is too much!

Decorating Cookies ... They may have consumed more then two ... yikes!

This face ... the face of trying to ignore ... ignore the fact that Santa had just walked into the room. Caden is not a big Santa fan. AJ had told him earlier, "its okay Caden, it isn't the real Santa, it's just his helper".

Santa called each kiddo up by name. I wasn't sure if Caden would willingly go up. When Santa called, "Caden". Caden looked at AJ and said, "AJ come with me".

The picture on the right is AJ telling Santa, "Santa, I'm here to support my friend Caden".

LOVE These!

Caden's fists rolled and tucked under means he's trying to act cool, but really he isn't too sure about this Santa Character ... but AJ is there, so he will remain cool.

His expression in the bottom left is him looking at Santa as if he's thinking, "how did Santa know?" ... Santa's helper (aka Mom) had to go to three friggin stores to find that little Professor Z car. ~Sigh

Thanking Santa!

The next part of our weekend was heading to Bellevue to stay at the Westin and watch Snowflake Lane with Grammy & Pa-Pa. Here is his cheesy reaction when we told him.

Snowflake Lane was uber crowded this year. We had planned to head to dinner after ... But Caden was done! Up since 4:00am, no nap, ran up and down the BB court with AJ, hung out with Santa ... and by this time it was 7:30. We headed to dinner. Caden had a fit ~ so my Mom and Caden went back to the hotel and the rest of us went to dinner.

Caden and Dan had a little fun at the arcade ... Caden was thrilled to see the big bowling alley ... and I got in a little retail therapy.

Amazingly the sun came out in Bellevue and Caden was too cute soaking it all in on the balcony.

Hope you are finding some Holiday Cheer where ever you are!

Elfin Around

2011-12-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

A little recap of Lollipop's week ...

Caden has learned to find fun in Elf ... He isn't intimidated by him ... and asks where he is in the morning ... love it!

We came back from an adventure this weekend (post to come) and Elf had lined up all of Caden's cars from his bedroom down both sides of the hallway around the dining room and to the Christmas tree. Caden's response (with arms up in the air) was, "ELF. You have to stop doing this". I think Elf is frustrating him a little :o) ~

Oh How I love it!

•It's Beginning to Feel Alot ...

2011-12-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

... like Christmas ... I think it has something to do with the little bugger below! ... ... and oh my word, this kid has some ENERGY! Dan and I tried to get a lot of chores done this weekend. Feels good ... still lots to get done ... but progress was made.

The child is obsessed with playing on the computer ... I've had to start limiting his time on it. He knows how to get to "Disney Junior" all himself. ~ and yes, the PJ pants with no shirt and scarf is all his doing ~

The weather was awesome this weekend! We don't have ANY snow (rare for this time of year). Beautiful sunny skies! While Dan strung the Christmas lights on the house Caden ran around ~ and I snapped a few fun pictures. I guess I really am the Paparazzi ~ covering his eyes to the camera (little sh**!)

Yes! I know its an overload ... but his personality was oozing in these ... too hard to edit ... so you get all of them.

I had gone in the house to get something and when I came back out Caden was in the plant. Yes, he is all boy .... attempting to climb trees. Give this Mom a panic attack .... I have to look the other way!

... Dan caught it on video .... Remember, this is the kid that didn't start walking until 29 months. Now, there is no stopping him!

We added a pantry to our kitchen during our recent home improvement project. I'm loving it ... We gave Caden the bottom shelf ... I'm realizing though this may just be too convenient for him to get his "own" snacks. Every time I turned around this weekend, he was in there again. Sigh!

The halls are finally decked ...

... and "Lollipop" the Elf continues to keep us guessing!

{Meet Lollipop}

2011-12-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

Meet "Lollipop", he's part of the Elf on the Shelf collection. I've been seeing lots of "Elf's" on blogs and Facebook ... and decided today this looked like too much fun to pass up. Kids only "believe" for a few years ~ I didn't want to miss the opportunity.

When we got home from work today "Elf" was on our mantle?! Caden wasn't quite understanding how the elf got to our house. We read the book ... which explained that he was sent from the North Pole. We named him ... Caden first wanted to name him "Caden" ... but Uncle Abe helped sway him to pick "Lollipop" for the elves name ... and Lollipop it is.

Caden isn't so sure about Lollipop. I hope as the days go on he learns to love Lollipop. He is so darn smart ... he has already questioned, "why didn't we have an elf last year?" ... in which I replied, "well elves are special and not every kid gets an elf every year". He also wants to know, "how elf gets in and out of our house?" (That was after he locked the front door). I told him, "the elf has magic powers".

Each night Lollipop flys to the North Pole ... reports to Santa how Caden is doing and what Caden wants for Christmas and returns home before morning. I cant wait to see what kind of mischievous trouble Lollipop gets into the next few weeks ....

Join us on our adventure! ~ Happy Holidays!

•Turkey Day Weekend•

2011-11-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

Busy! It was a jam packed five days of very little relaxation. I don't know where I ever got the idea that holidays are relaxing. Clearly a false interpretation. The majority of our five days off work were fun .... but busy!

My parents came in to town Wednesday night to spend Thanksgiving with us. We headed to Leavenworth for dinner. To our surprise the town was already lit up for Christmas ... Love it! ... and we enjoyed a yummy dinner at South.

Caden had a blast pulling Grammy up and down the ski hill. We weren't prepared to "play". We didn't have snow pants, gloves, boots or sleds. But that didn't stop the two "four" year olds :o) Grammy slid down the hill on her bottom and Caden sat on her lap.

I spent Thursday in the kitchen ... Dan was feeling a wee bit lazy after several hours on the couch watching football ... so they hit the yard to rake some leaves (amazingly our snow has melted! ... for now)

The "traditional" picture. I'm sure my Mom has these same olive pics of me at age four. ... and yes, Caden raked in his jammies and put on different jammies for dinner. It was just that kind of stay home day ...

Dan and my Dad went golfing Friday. Caden had an ear check with the pediatrician and we had lunch and did a little shopping with Grammy.

Saturday Dan worked on more finishing touches in our house. Our new pantry is installed ... now to find the time to fill it up (one more thing on the to-do list) ... of course Mr. C was right there to help.

Our friends the Mock's came to visit on Saturday. We had fun hanging out, watching the Apple Cup and making fajitas accompanied with yum 'o margaritas.

Sunday we headed to Seattle. We stayed at Uncle Scot's Sunday night. Headed to the mall for dinner and a little retail therapy.

Caden had new ear tubes put in Monday. Our check in time wasn't until 11am. Which meant no food after 4 am and no clear liquids after 7am. I was seriously dreading this day! I even attempted to reschedule in hopes the next appointment we would get called for an earlier check in ... but the doctors next available wasn't until the end of January. Couldn't wait that long! So we had to go with it.
Caden proved me wrong and did amazing! Dan was more hungry and whiney for food then Caden was. Caden only got whiney a few times and that wasn't about food but was about how much longer he had to wait. They didn't take him back to anesthesia until a little after 1:00. Superstar!

Watching a little TV.

The placement of the tubes went fine ... however he woke up from the anesthesia miserably! In the past he's never had a problem coming off the anesthesia. But this time they woke him up and he had to stay in the OR until anesthesia cleared him to the floor, in which anesthesia got called to an emergency. So he was awake, waiting in a room and didn't know where his mom and dad were. He was so upset when they brought him back to us. Hard for this Momma bear not to get angry!

He said his head hurt and he looked pretty rummy. I asked if he could have Tylenol and the nurse said he had a dose at 12:30. He was still with Dan and I at 12:30 - he was not given Tylenol. It was around 1:10 that I went back with him to the operating room. She then said, "well they must have given it to him through an IV". I said, "he didn't have an IV". Then she said, "well maybe it was a suppository". Bottom Line ... I'm not sure when or if he received the Tylenol. This is why I preach stay with your kiddo as much as you can while they are in the hospital ... only you can be the best advocate for your child. AHH!!! (Blood is boiling again!)

Anyway, He fell back asleep for about a half an hour, woke up on his own and looked better. One of his first requests was a Top Pot doughnut ....

So ...Of course that was our first stop once we were discharged!

We got home about 8:00 Monday night, time enough to unpack and prepare for the four day work week. Caden really wanted to get our Christmas tree last night after work & school/childcare. Dad was up for it ... so off we went.

He was so eager to help with everything ~ so excited to see the village ~ and I'd have to say I'm loving the whole Santa thing this year. I mention that Santa is watching him from the North Pole with his telescope and it turns Caden's behavior right around :o)

There is more decorating to be done this weekend ~ I'm in denial that we are right smack in the middle of the Holiday Season. CRAZY!

Saturday Fun

2011-11-20T21:03:00.001-08:00

I wasn't very excited to wake up Saturday morning and see that it was snowing again ... but somebody else was .... It's gonna be a long one, it's not even December yet ... Since it is the season, Caden eagerly circled about !Every! item in the Lego catalog that he "needs".

Mr. Ornery and Dad have had an ongoing battle the last few days of who can get the remote(s) first. Before Dan woke up Saturday morning Caden had the controllers collected .... and anxiously awaited for Dad to wake up so he could show him he already got the remotes. (little sh**!).

Since it was a yucky day outside we decided to go bowling. Caden has frequently asked since we went bowling in the summer, if we could go again. He Loves It! ... and Dan and I really have NO experience bowling. Kind of funny!

... and here's a little snip it of our bowling fun!

... yes, he bounces around the entire time (exhausting!) :o)

He's Been Waiting for This ~

2011-11-16T22:04:00.001-08:00

Since Caden got his car in March I've heard numerous times, "I cant wait for it to snow, I'm gonna push the snow with my car". Clearly, no concept of a rear wheel sports car versus 4 wheel drive.

As soon as I saw the first flake around noon today, I could hear in my head the words I would hear when I picked him up from daycare today ...

Sure enough, "Mom, we need to go home and drive my car" .... he couldn't get in the house and get his boots out fast enough!

Slightly annoyed that he is stuck

Moving Again ...

Tired of getting stuck ... onto shoveling!

Stay Warm ~ lows are forecasted in the teens this weekend ~ How can it be?!

{raking Leaves with a Four year old}

2011-11-13T15:01:00.001-08:00

raking leaves took three times as long as if Mommy had done it solo .... but was more fun for him then any toy he had in the house.

(would you guess he has a double ear infection, runny nose & cough?)

Happy Fall!

a Seattle weekend

2011-11-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

... getting caught up from last weekend as we roll into another ...

Last weekend we headed to the westside ... We finally made it to Caffe Ladro. I mentioned Caffe Ladro in my Dwarfism Awareness post, last month. There happened to be one right down the street from Scot's house, where we were staying. Perfect! I was excited to see they hadn't run out of the "Stand Tall for Little People" cups. Seriously, more exciting then the red cup ... especially with Starbucks screw up of firing the LP.

Caffe Ladro definately has new customers here :o) Their coffee is great and they support LPA ~ can't get much better!

If only I could have gotten a better picture of the little sh** with the cup. He was clueless, we tried to explain what the cups were all about ~ but he was more interested in playing with Dad's phone. Sigh!

(The side of the cup says, "We support Dwarfism Awareness Month and encourage you to visit: www.littlepeoplepugetsound.com to make a big difference in the lives of little people) - How neat is that?!

We met up with Uncle Chris, headed to Top Pot, and then into Seattle to the Auto Show -

Caden is all about the "slide car". What is a "slide car" you ask? Caden thought Caty's car was so neat in Anaheim that he has since developed a love for ... yes ... mini-vans. While at the auto show he insisted on getting in and out of each one. We actually had to pry him out of the Chrysler mini - van. ... and the scary thing is I don't know who wanted that one more ... Dan or Caden ... iyaya ... no mini-van for me.

Sunday we got in a little retail therapy at Bell Square before heading back over the mountains. It was a fun weekend ... a fun opportunity to hit up a few of our favorite restaurants and spend money we shouldn't sepnd :o)

Caden is supposed to get his new ear tubes this coming Monday. ...but, he woke up with a stuffy nose yesterday. Today he continues to be congested (I'm waiting for the cough to appear next). I took him into the pediatrician today to have his ears checked.
When I took him in for his flu shot 9 days ago, I also had them look in his ears because he hadn't slept well the night before. Yep, another ear infection. So the pediatrican gave us a ten day dose of zythromax to make sure he was cleared up for his upcoming tube placement this Monday.
Today, 9 days later his ears are still red and there is still infected fluid behind the drum. SIGH!!! We have switched to Augmentin, rescheduled his tubes and HOPEFULLY his ears, sinuses and chest will be clear in a couple weeks and we can try again.

.... oh how I'm getting tired of hearing Caden say, "what'd you say?" Poor Buddy needs his ears better!

It will be a low key weekend here of getting my house put back together ~ we had the carpet installed in the bedrooms on Wednesday. We are just about done! Halelughla :o)

Wishing you a relaxing weekend!

•Happy Halloween•

2011-10-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Caden had his costume party at school on Friday ... he didn't want a new costume .... and decided he wanted to wear his dragon costume (from last year) to school. I was having issues with this at first ... I'm thinkin' no way can you wear the same costume twice .... where is the fun in that? ... but I got over it and realized he saved me forty plus bucks.

I made these fun popcorn hands a couple of years ago and made them again this year for Caden to take to school.

NO time for Mom or pictures ... I'll take what I can get ~

Opening up his Halloween Mail (I didn't know Halloween was a gift giving holiday? I guess when you are cute any holiday means gifts?! Thank You Family!)

More Fall Fun ... I made these cute pumpkin rice krispie treats for Caden to take to daycare ...

He even scored a Halloween fun pack from Chrissy today ... complete with vampire teeth :o)

I think the highlight/anticipation of Caden's day was riding the little train. It's been fun to watch him grow with this train. Two years ago we went to ride the train and he wanted nothing to do with it ... now he runs to it :o)

and while the boys rode the train ... I absorbed some sun ... and this awesome view!

For Trick 'O Treating Caden decided to wear his bone jammies and be a skeleton ... how appropriate for a LP :o) He's all about the bones.

Mr. Caden didn't love trick 'o treating this year. We only went to a handful of houses. He could care less about the candy. He was much more content pushing/running his wagon around the neighborhood.

Once we got home ... each time the doorbell rang with another trick o'treater he would say, "Mom, don't give away all that candy. Save some for me". Little sh** realized he didn't need to go trick o'treating. Mom & Dad had/have candy in that big bowl by the doorway already. .... he's smarter then I know.

... and this my friends are the best pictures you are going to get of Caden on the front porch this year in his costume. It just wasn't worth the argument :o)

He's had it with me .... Happy Halloween!

Grab a Coffee ....

2011-10-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

I had this post all typed last night ~ hit publish and it crashed on me and I lost it. AHHH! So annoying, an hour and a half lost! Anyway! Grab your Coffee and get comfy. This is a long one.

These last two and a half weeks have been C.R.A.Z.Y! During that time we have went over the mountains and back twice, stayed in hotels and still tried to maintain our usual daily routines (school, work, daycare, etc). It's no wonder I cant kick this stupid cold I've had!

Two weekends ago Caden and I vacated our house while Dan finished installing and started the staining process of the hardwood floors. Of course, Caden was thrilled to head to Grammy & Pa-Pa's. The "rules" are different there. He has learned how to "manipulate" Grammy into going to Target and manages to score a new toy each time. The little bugger has even got so smart to decide he wants it to be only him & Gram that go to the store. That way I'm not there to say "no".

And of course he is always happy to "help" Pa-Pa mow the grass and play with all of Pa-Pa's lawn tools.

We headed back home on Sunday, unpacked and repacked our suitcases, grabbed our laundry and headed to a hotel in town for two nights. Doing laundry at the end of the hall was a little reminiscent of my college days ~ minus the cute boys and alcohol. Ya- not so much fun ... but Caden thought it was great!

I had Caden’s Parent-Teacher conference during this week as well. Caden is doing good in class ~ minus the attention he likes to draw from the teacher. “I see you Mrs. C”, “Mrs. C, what are you doing?” He also likes to tell her when he has already done an assignment (same curriculum as last years class). I can just picture his big brown eyes and little mouth popping off – sigh!

Caden did well on his fall assessment identifying/recognizing shapes, colors, letters & numbers. The teacher was quite impressed. However he doesn’t do well coloring in the lines or writing his letters. For as well as he does on his recognition the teacher feels he should do better on his coloring and writing. As she was explaining this I started thinking about how Caden frequently complains about his hands hurting and that at his last Ortho checkup in August the doctors had said Caden has a lot of laxity in his wrists and fingers. I wondered if maybe since his wrists are “floppy” if it makes it harder to stop at the line while coloring... Harder to control his wrist? Also, causing his wrists to flop when writing his letters. His teacher says he holds his pencil well.
I have since talked to his Orthopedic doctor and his teacher again. The doctor feels that my “logic” makes since ... Although she hasn’t really heard of another LP patient dealing with this. His teacher is going to have the occupational therapist at school evaluate him. I’m not too concerned because he is only four .... But at the same time if there is “help” available to help him strengthen his wrists and improve his writing skills I will take it.
My question to other LP parents ... Have your little ones experienced similar problems with writing/coloring and “floppy” wrists?

Tuesday night we stayed at home and unpacked and repacked our suitcases again ~We left Wednesday after work to head back to Seattle. Caden had an MRI with anesthesia first thing Thursday morning. He did quite well! Didn’t ask for breakfast or juice ... Waited patiently ... Flirted with the nurses ... Didn’t freak when it was time to go to the table or put on the mask. When he awoke from the anesthesia he devoured a couple bags of animal crackers and we were on our way. As we were walking down the hall he says, “wow, that was fun”. Goofy Kid!

They are adding onto Seattle Children's. The steel workers have been writing on the beams get well wishes to the long term patients at Children's so they can view it out their windows ... how cute!

Next up we had an appointment with the ENT. Caden’s right tube has fallen out – junk. This set only lasted 11 months. We have an appointment in a few weeks for new tubes. I also shared with the ENT that Caden has been saying, “what’d you say” a lot. I wasn’t sure if it was a game Caden was playing or if he really couldn’t hear. So he sent us over to audiology. Caden did well with the check and had fun playing games with the nurses. However the outcome was not great. In the left ear he has limited hearing at the highest range and lowest range. In the right ear he has a moderate hearing loss :o( We are hoping that the new tubes will help correct his hearing. We will have his hearing checked again a few weeks after his new set are in.

Yes, Three hours after waking up from the anesthesia we were on our way to U-Village for a little play time, lunch and retail therapy. Caden was buzzin all around. Who would have know he had been knocked out earlier in the morning ... superstar!

Then it was time to go back over to Children's ...Our final appointment was with the neurosurgeon to follow up on the MRI from the morning. His bone has not grown back since his decompression surgery two years ago. (Good News) He has limited spinal fluid “flow” behind his spinal cord, and the “flow” in the front of his cord is okay. So not ideal, but okay for an achon.

We spent Friday & Saturday night with Grammy & Pa-Pa again. Caden had fun picking out party favors for Gram's birthday. We celebrated early since we won't be with Grammy on her actual birthday this Friday.

Saturday we headed up to the Fall Festival at Camp Korey for a LPA Puget Sound Event. To say that Caden had FUN is an understatement! Remember, I'm the Mom who cringes as the Play-Doh colors are mixed ...

Spying Miss Julie ....

Seriously. The weather sucked! Pouring Rain, Gray Skies, Windy ... Reconfirmed why I moved to this side of the mountains!

Caden was excited to go through the corn maze which included a fire pit in the center of the maze to create smores.

This kid has never been so muddy ... mud all the way to his ears. When we took off his boots at the car, water poured out of them.

These two boys "hammed" it up. Caden clearly turned the "boot wash" into the "body wash"

Sad to say goodbye to Julie and the fun! As we pulled out of the parking lot Caden was waving and saying, "Bye Camp Korey, see you next year".

Back at home I'm trying to get caught up on "life" ... and Caden has been having fun playing outside in our non-rainy weather.

Pumpkin Carving Time ...

I think the days of the posed pictures of Caden sitting on the front porch in his costume are long gone. This kid doesn' sit still for a minute. He also hasn't decided what he wants to be for Halloween. He changes his mind daily.

He thinks it is hilarious to re-arrange my pumpkins on the front porch and create "pumpkin traffic" - Ornery Kid!

I am READY for my house to be complete ... I'm tired of the extra work it creates and tired of living in disarray ... it shouldn't be too much longer - hooray!

Amazing!

2011-10-12T22:25:00.001-07:00

In my post last night, I shared that life seems to be in fast forward ... I can't catch up ... and then we have ignorant as**s that add more to my plate. Rgh!

I am asking each one of you to follow this link: Florida Rep. Ritch Workman (R): Withdraw Bill 4063 - Legalizing the exploitation of persons with dwarfism.

From LPA's website: "On October 3, 2011, Florida Representative Ritch Workman introduced HB 4063, legislation that would repeal a state ban on dwarf tossing. Dwarf tossing is a game played in a bar where patrons toss a little person onto a bed of mattresses for entertainment. The goal is to see how far a person can be tossed.
Originally passed in 1989, the ban on dwarf tossing has helped protect the safety and dignity of people with dwarfism. In addition to threatening the physical well being of the individual subjected to being thrown, dwarf tossing objectifies the entire dwarfism community, suggesting that little people are no more than pieces of equipment in a barbaric game."

Can you believe it is 2011?! and we are facing issues such as this? October is Dwarfism Awareness Month ... and clearly we have a lot more awareness to be made. Far too much ignorance out there!

THANK YOU for taking a minute to "sign" this petition ... Caden thanks you :o)

{Fall}

2011-10-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Fall has officially arrived ~ I've been in denial ~ the leaves have started to change colors, so I guess I have to accept it. ~ I'm just not ready to put away my flip-flops!

Life has been crazy busy .... it's like the fast forward button has been pushed ... and I cant find the pause button.

I am looking SO forward to our house being done ~ then maybe things wont seem so busy... it's amazing what Dan can create when you give him a bit of insurance money ... It will be NICE when it's done ~ but I'm not doing well with all this in between ... it's been 3 months that I've been out of routine in my house. I don't deal well with change ... sigh!

Mr. Caden has been under the weather the last 3 weekends ~ the flu with a few days healthy ~ then a cold, which of course went to an ear infection. I think his second set of tubes are gone :o( This ear infection never "drained" and the pediatrician can't "see" the tubes. JUNK! The positive is his cough hasn't gotten really bad, and his asthma hasn't kicked in ... Hooray!!!

A couple weeks back we took all of the pumpkins out of the garden and decorated the porch. Yes, at 7:00am. Caden has been on a 5:30 wake up kick (rgh!). So our days start early!

You will notice a theme through these pictures ... VERY few of Caden smiling at the camera. He is uber annoyed with me taking pictures of him lately. Sorry buddy ~ I can't resist :o)

Dan was a couple of bundles short of wood for the floors. Rather then him making the drive to Tacoma to get more we were able to twist my parents arm's (really, it wasn't hard - the power of Caden) into delivering it to us this past weekend. Caden had a blast playing with Grammy & Pa-Pa :o)

'Lovin this crazy bedhead ... my goodness ... crazy hair :o)

Hoping you are having a good week ~ thank you for the kind comments on my last post :o)

~October IS Dwarfism Awareness Month~

2011-10-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

How can it be October again?! I've blogged about it here and here .... and here I go again ...

As Caden grows older, I focus less and less on his dwarfism. His medical appointments are less frequent. There are things he does that are related to him being little, but to me they have become nothing out of the ordinary. Caden is an only child ... I have no one to compare him to, nor do I need to compare him to anyone. To me he is CADEN. He does what he does and he is who he is.

However, society reminds me he may be a little "different" then the average height child. For example; when he trips, flys forward, scuffs his knee and gets right back up. All the while I am still walking, saying, "c'mon buddy, get back up, we gotta go". I look up to realize I have three or four people looking at me with a look on their face that implies, "geez, lady aren't you gonna help the kid up?" I think I may have heard them gasp as well as Caden fell forward. Little do they know that's just how we roll. The comment that gets me most is the one I just heard last weekend at Costco. Caden is pushing the cart through the store (because we all know, if it has wheels, Caden MUST push it). A lady walks by us and says, "oh baby, you are so young, you be careful". It's a good thing Caden was still in motion, otherwise if I hadn't had to follow him I kindly would have replied, "he's four and a half" ....

It's society that reminds me just how rare dwarfism is. As Caden's Mommy, it's my job to educate. Educate that Caden is a person. He's not a mythical creature, he isn't less intelligent then any other four year old and he can do just about anything he wants ~ he may just go about it in a little different way.

Here we go ....

There are over 200 distinct forms of dwarfism and skeletal dysplasias.
People with dwarfism are generally not taller than 4' 10" at adult height. The typical height range is 2'8" to 4'5".
Eighty percent of people with dwarfism have average-height parents and siblings.
There are an estimated 30,000 people in the United States and 651,000 internationally with a type of dwarfism.
In July 2009 the word "midget" was declared inappropriate and offensive. Preferable terms are: having dwarfism, short stature, little person, lp, and the medical terminology use of dwarf. A person's name is always the most preferred.
Skeletal Dysplasias affect bone growth, but generally do not affect cognitive abilities.
Don't treat people with dwarfism according to their height, instead of their age or ability. Little people are attorneys, teachers, engineers and doctors.

I am a lucky to have Caden ... even though some days I feel as if I'm going to loose my marbles ~ what parent doesn't? Caden asked me yesterday, "Mom, are you loosing your marbles?" (Little Sh**)! I've never shed a tear over the fact that he is little ... I've only embraced it. It is my hope that I am doing a good job raising Caden, instilling the confidence and knowledge in him that he needs to grow up accepting that he is little. I know he will have his *bad* days, but what kid doesn't?!

At four and a half he "gets" bits and pieces that he is "little". At four years old no way is he capable of grasping the whole concept. He will talk about doing something when he is bigger/older, then he will end it with , "but, Mom, I'm always going to be little, and that's ok". I told him the other day that Oliver (his buddy at daycare) was four just like him. Caden corrected me to say, "but Mom, Oliver isn't the same as me because Oliver is bigger then me, remember I'm little" :o)

I am thankful for my LP family! I have met some of the best people because of Caden. Friendships I would not be fortunate to have if I wasn't Caden's Mom. I am thankful for the LPA. ... and thankful for my parents who just purchased Caden's lifetime membership to the LPA (seriously best gift ever!) ... and thankful for the National Conventions ~ 9 months 'til Dallas :o)

The Puget Sound Chapter of the LPA has an awesome promotion going on with Caffe Ladro (in the Seattle Area) for the month of October. Hop on over to the website for a bit more knowledge on dwarfism and you might see a cute kiddo or two pictured there as well :o)

THANK YOU to my friends, family and readers who continue to read my blog, share my blog with others and share your knowledge of dwarfism ~ together we are making an easier life for Caden!

Potty Reward

2011-09-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

Caden has had his eye on a particular garbage truck that Chrissy's (child care) sister has. He's been buggin me to buy it for him for weeks. So, when he finally decided to consistently wear big boy underwear for one week I told him we could order the truck. It isn't exactly the same one that he wanted ... sorry, not spending $70.00 for a garbage truck. I found a similar one for $20.00. It has the "side car" (side lift for the garbage can) and that is what was most important to Caden. Because ... lets not forget he already has two large garbage trucks. But I was told those ones weren't as good because they didn't have the "side arm".

It was a lonnnnggg week last week waiting for that UPS man to get here .... Finally, Friday when we got home from work/school it was waiting on the porch. You would have thought it was Christmas, he was so excited.

... and did I mention he didnt have one accident last week and went poop in the potty as well :o) He makes it seem so simple now. Too bad it only took him four years to figure it out. ~ and I must say it was nice going to Costco today and not having to buy pull-ups! Hooray!

...It even went to bed with him Friday night.

Sadly Caden woke up at 2:30 am Friday night hollering for me ... he had vomited everywhere :0( Continued into Saturday afternoon. He went to bed last night with a fever .... but woke up at 5:30 this morning, ready for the day ... and has been fine all day today.

As awful as it sounds it was kind of nice having him mellow and resting all day yesterday ... because today his "personality" is back in full swing! Thank Goodness he is taking a nap ... this Momma needed a break!

Have a Great Week!

Four and a Half & Finally

2011-09-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

so ... slightly embarrassed to share ... I'm finally convinced that Caden is potty trained. YES friends ... Four and a Half! I know it's a parenting failure this hasn't happened sooner. I was really fearing we were going to reach five.

Way back in January 2009 I bought Caden his potty chair. If you search the blog you will see many posts making reference to Caden going potty. We tried bribes, no underwear, charts, our pediatrician and Ortho doctors tried to tell him, etc. He would wear "big boy underwear" but then after an accident he was discouraged and it would take a few weeks to get him to try again. He doesn't have to be potty trained for him to attend his sitters or preschool ... I thought about telling him anyway, that he had to be, but knowing my child he would say fine, then I don't want to go to Chrissy's or school ... then I would be the one up the creek without the paddle :o). I spent a good portion of the summer working on it ... but it was a loosing battle.

It was always my belief not to make it a discipline thing. People would tell me, "when he's ready, he will do it". I was convinced my stubborn child was never going to oblige .... but FINALLY, last Saturday during "rest" time he yelled to me had to go potty ... and he did ... and now a week later I think we might just be there :o) A few accidents, but he is willing to try again after the accident. I seriously think I am the happiest person in this house ~ finally! accomplishing this milestone. ... and I'm so relieved he will not be going to Kindergarten in pull-ups!

As we were going to the store last Sunday, I hear from the backseat, C: "Mom, you are proud of me". Me, "ya, why buddy". C:"Because I'm going potty in the potty now". Then as we were going through the store, from the shopping cart he tells me, "Mom, I think we can throw away my pull-ups, because I've learned to go potty". :o)

Typing this seems so ridiculous! Because now, it seems so easy. It seems likes this should have happened a year ago ... but clearly he wasn't ready ... and now he is. Someone please comment and tell me my child is not the oldest kid in history to be potty trained ... even though I fear he is. sigh!

Alrighty ... what else have we been up to. We've been settling back into our school year routine (blech!). The majority of last weekend was spent indoors. Our sky was filled with crappy, smokey air. Not good for Caden's asthma. Not that he cared too much, he was content making "forts".

... and I've been living in this "fun". Our "flood" has resulted in the kitchen, dining room, family room and living room being re-done. Not because it had to be ... but because Dan wanted it to be. I'm totally on board with it. It will be nice when it is done. I'm just hoping not to loose my sanity in the meantime! The amount of money we received from insurance is allowing us to re-finish our kitchen cabinets, paint the interior, and re-floor the four rooms with hardwood (and carpet in a few areas), as well as a new microwave and new family room furniture. Really! we didn't get that much money from insurance. Dan did all the demo/repair work himself and is doing the install and painting himself. Yes, I'm lucky to have a live in handy man :o) The only negative is it takes longer because he has a day job too :o(

Of course, Caden thinks it's neat that Daddy is doing all this work. ... dont' you wish you could squat like that :o)

The weather today was Perfect! Caden and I spent the majority of it outside! I sure hope he has this determination and drive when he is 12 and still thinks its "cool" to do chores and help Mom in the yard!

... and he created his own car wash. Driving his car down the middle of the parkway with the sprinklers on. Silly Boy!

Have a Great Week!

Meet the Teacher & First Day of Pre-School

2011-09-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Caden had his "meet the teacher" day. Since I've been back to work he's been asking daily, "when do I get to go to school?" He even told me, "I wish I could go every day". So wish I had that recorded for when he is about 14 and is tired of school :o)

Caden is again attending preschool 3 mornings a week this year. We would have liked for him to attend the four day a week class ... but since Dan and I have to provide transportation, four days would be stretching it since we also have to work. Caden has a different teacher this year who is new to the district. She is young and energetic. I think she will be a perfect fit for Caden.

Dan picked Caden up from Chrissy's (our sitter) and I met the boys at school. I only have two pictures to show for it. Dan was giving me a hard time for taking pictures ... rgh! So what if I'm the only parent in there with a camera. Those other parents are just missing out.

I love that he had homework to turn in on the first day ...

Today was Caden's first day of pre-school. Dan took him to school ... he said he seemed a little nervous and timid, but thought he was fine.
Dan took these two cute pictures ...

When I got there to pick him up he was happily playing with one of the the Para's (teacher's assistant) he had in class last year. So cute!

When he spotted me he came walking towards me with all the confidence in the world, grabbed his pack, said goodbye to his teacher, and he was good to go ...

He found a stick on the way to the car ... drug it along ... sang, "Sunday. Monday. -Tuesday. Wednesday. -...." as we crossed the street, and hammed it up.

I asked a few questions about his day, but of course he didn't feel like answering them. However, I knew it was a good day, just by his mood. Hooray!

After we got home from Chrissy's ~ evidently there was work to be done on his car. I was told his car was broke and it was going to be a few weeks before the man can get the parts. I will treasure these days of the little car and little imagination... because I think before I know it he will be coming home from school, 16 years old and working on his real car. AGH!

Caden's First "Pet"

2011-09-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

I am not an animal person ... much less a bug person. Eww! So when I was pulling weeds yesterday morning and I heard Caden talking to someone, and turn around to see it is a "rolley polley" in his little hand, my first thought was to freak and vomit.

However, I held it together ... kept telling myself, "he's a boy, it's just a potato bug, it could be worse ...a frog or a snake, this is the first of many bugs". Instead of freaking I offered to help make a home for Caden's new "friend".

Caden's compassion for the "rolley polley" was pretty darn precious. He carried the bug house around with him everywhere yesterday. Put the box in the back of his Lightening McQueen car and drove it around. Insisted we bring the stroller on our walk so the bug could come with us in the stroller, took it in the car with us to get lunch and dinner and insisted we bring our food back home and eat out back so the bug wouldn't have to wait in the car ... that was after I informed him the box with the bug could not come into the restaurant with us. (my kitchen is fully disassembled, hence the eating out multiple meals. ugh!)

I overheard him on several occasions opening the box and saying, "how you doing in here little buddy?" or "are you okay?" or "are you hungry?". He wanted to give the bug some of his juice but I convinced him to stick to water for the bug.

During quiet/rest time Caden was laying on my bed watching a movie, while I was doing work on the computer. I heard him talking to "rolley polley" only to turn around and find that he had the bug out of the box and in his hand ...on. my. bed. OH, buddy, the bug HAS to stay in the box.

Sadly, we convinced him tonight that the "rolley polley" needed to go back to see his family. Dan told Caden the bug had a "family reunion" to get too. (I had to keep a straight face on that one). Courageously Caden let the bug back into the rocks tonight. Caden said he was a little sad ... but I told him we can find "rolley polley's" brother or sister tomorrow, to live in the box for a while.

Whew .... this parenthood stuff :o) .... and NO, this does not mean he needs a dog or other animal/reptile as a pet. Those of you heading to the pet store can turn around and head back home.

~ here's a little snip-it of what else we've been up to. Since I'm back at work and our house is a disaster (Dan has turned the kitchen flood into quite the home improvement project ~ yes! it will be all good in the end ... I just have to "keep looking at the light at the end of the tunnel") I haven't had my camera out much :o(

... someone starts his last year of preschool tomorrow. Stay tuned :o)

Fun at the Little Train

2011-08-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

We were excited that AJ & his Mama came to visit their family in town this weekend ~ because they also squeezed in time to play with us. Caden was excited to show AJ the little train.

It is so nice to talk to another LP Mommy ... they just "get it" ... you can talk about tonsils, adenoids, decompressions, sleep studies, clothes, etc .... and they aren't lost and thinking, "what the heck are you rattling off?!" and it's so nice for Caden to be able to run around and play with a buddy "his size" :o)
We look forward to AJ coming to play again!

I walked in to check on Caden in the bath. I could hear him carrying on a conversation with someone or something - apparently Mickey and Minnie needed their own bubble bath.

... and Goofy and Donald as well ~ Silly Kid!

Hope you are having a good week!

Starbucks Settlement

2011-08-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Some of you might remember this post: It's Been a Long Three Days. I'm happy to report that I found this article today: Starbucks to Pay $75,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit.

I guess the only thing I would have to say to this manager is, the next time someone wants a stool, give them the darn stool ... simple.

It is unfortunate Starbucks is only providing more extensive ADA training in the El Paso area and not the entire corporation. But I guess some is better then none.

... and did I mention I think I've only made two visits to Starbucks since May. That's BIG for me. Two times because Caden requested the visits. What am I going to tell the four year old? I don't think ignorance and discrimination are something he needs to know about at such a young age.

Thanks to those of you who also reduced your Starbucks visits :o)

Last Day of Summer :o(

2011-08-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

Grammy & Pa-Pa came over for a visit this past weekend. We had fun going to the Applesox Game (sadly, the only one we made it to this season) ...

and we had fun at the park ....

and fun attempting to fly our kite. Even though it really wasn't windy enough, but Caden thought it was.

And Today, Caden and I had our last day of summer fun together! Caden doesn't start preschool for a few weeks, but I go back to work tomorrow.

How I wish I could stay home and "play" everyday. But the reality of it is, I HAVE to work outside of the home. I'll suck it up and remind myself I am lucky to have a job and lucky to have a job that allows me to have 8 weeks off over the summer.

Sigh!

We had a fun last day of summer vacation ... walk, picnic lunch, baskin & robbins, played in the water, picked tomatoes, a bike ride ... and I think the highlight of the day was Caden watching the garbage man. Seriously, the garbage man is a celebrity to Caden. The garbage man waves at Caden and toots his horn and Caden waves back. Too darn funny!

We picked the tomatoes out of the garden and washed them in his swimming pool and picked a few peaches off of the tree. Then we took some tomatoes and peaches to the neighbors. Lightening McQueen served as the perfect delivery vehicle :o)

one tired, sweaty boy ... after a darn good bike ride. He amazes me on his bike and also scares the crap out me. yikes!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Bowling!

2011-08-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

As we wind down our summer :o( there are still a few things left on Caden's list that we agreed we would do this summer .... one of them being bowling. He has played bowling on the wii, downloaded a few bowling apps on my iPad, but never bowled for real.
I've been putting it off, in hopes Dan could go with us. Now with the kitchen mess, it just wasn't going to happen .... so Caden and I set off on our adventure this morning :o)

He Loved It! ... I was so impressed ~ Mr. Determined was set on carrying the ball all by himself!

Love the fist pump in the picture on the right ~

Our scores ... keep in mind its been at least 15 years since I've bowled ... Needless to say I have room for improvement.

Caden wanted to play a second game. There was no one else there (guess no one goes bowling at 11:00 in the morning) and of course Caden charmed the lady working and she let him bowl a second game free of charge.
He decided he didn't want to use the ramp. I love achons ... check out how he rolled the ball without the ramp. Gotta Love it. I wish the picture on the right wasn't blurry, but he was running at me, showing me he was number one.

I think it is safe to say we will be bowling again!

A few random pics .... Reading the adorable postcard from Caty :o) .... loving my sunflowers! ....

... and did you know busses can fly on top of airplanes. According to Caden with a little tape, they can?!

Have a Great Weekend!

Our Weekend Adventure!

2011-08-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

It was my Birthday Weekend .... and I planned it:

Friday afternoon we headed to my parents for dinner and to stay the night. Caden cracked us all up, looking in my Mom's ear and saying "hey, what's in there? It looks like a cave".

Apparently the four year old felt I needed help opening my gifts?!

Saturday morning it was time to head out to watch the Blue Angels. It really is nice of them to visit every year for my Birthday :0) Ok, not really for me, but since I was born on Seafair Sunday the Blue Angels always fall within a few days of my day.

I love Caden's expression watching the Blue Angels take off. Have I mentioned the best $13.00 I ever spent was on these headphones! I'm sure you have noticed they have come in handy more then once!

Following the Blue Angels we headed to Bellevue to stay at the Westin .... Love that place. Which I could stay there every night. We had a yummy dinner and the boys had fun in the Arcade.

Of course with Caden in tow, a trip to the Lego store was necessary as well as a Jamba Juice. I think he knows Bell Square better then I. Yes, I know, we've created this monster :0)

Of course Top Pot was in order Sunday morning!

Then it was off to the LPA picnic in Everett. My Mom joined us as well. Caden fell asleep on the way there ~ so between being woke up and having Grammy there, it took him a good two hours to decide to play. But once he did, the cuteness was pretty darn cute! We were happy to see his new buddy AJ. These two are adorable!

Saying Goodbye .... Too cute!

After the picnic we visited Dan's family for a bit and then headed to Scot's to stay the night. Monday morning we dropped Dan off at his parents and Caden and I headed to Children's.

Caden had a routine follow up appointment with Genetics & Skeletal Dysplasia. The check up went well. Caden is in the 50th percentile for weight, height and head size on the LP charts. So he's an average Little Person :0) No new news was given outside of what the Doctors shared in Anaheim. We are doing a follow up MRI in October to check his spinal column. As he does complain occasionally of hand pain but is showing no other neurological symptoms.

After the appointment we headed back to pick up Dan, had a late lunch and then went to Marymoor Park in Redmond.

Apparently, Daddy in the train is really funny!

Then it was time to head home ... back to the reality of a kitchen that is still in pieces - blech! My Mom bought me a new lens for my camera and Dan bought me a new monitor for my computer. Overall it was a good birthday weekend :0)

Our "Staycation" Continued ...

2011-08-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

The thought that my summer vacation is more then half way over makes me want to vomit! Ugh ~ I'll suck it up and remind myself I'm lucky to have 8 weeks off in the summer. I know I won't get sympathy from most.

I'm trying to make the most of these last couple weeks .... Here's our fun since my last post. Minus my first and hopefully last ever bout of food poisoning. Sucked!

We went out to Rocky Reach Dam ~ The fish are going through like crazy right now. However my child was the least bit impressed. I wasn't even able to snap a picture of the fish. He saw them and then was all like, "c'mon Mom, lets go".

He had much more fun playing on the playground and running up and down the grass hills.

Dan is in the process of installing new shelves in our garage. Caden came in the house telling me he needed a hat. I look out in the garage to see why. Dan had his carpenter pencil in his ear under his hat ... in which junior needed to copy. I grabbed my camera quickly to snap the cuteness ... and missed the shot :0( So you get the fuzzy picture.

... and yes, it's the middle of a beautiful sunny summer Saturday ... and yes my child is outside in his jammies. Sometimes it's not worth the battle, especially when Mom is sick :0)

Sigh ... deep breaths .... the child is finger painting. I don't do well with paint everywhere ... but I made it through.

One of Caden's buddies from school came over to play. Clearly his Mom is not a "mamarazzi" like me, because each time I held the camera up he would stop and say cheese. All the while, my son looked at me annoyed again ... wishing I would "go away".

I needed a little escape this week so Caden and I went up to Leavenworth .... I would LOVE for this to be my view every morning outside of an adorable river house. But, ya, haven't won the lottery yet.

... and of course I couldn't go to Leavenworth without a YUMMY lunch at South! Love that place!

On the way back we stopped at the biggest little tourist trap in North Central Washington ...

.. in which Caden was the least bit enthused with the petting zoo. His only remark was, "Mom, it's kind of smelly here. We should go". Really ... why do I attempt these adventures :0) ...

... and our final adventure of the week. We rode the Trolley. Yes, friends, this is as silly as it gets. The Trolley is our public transportation around town. Caden always comments when we see the trolley ... and wants to ride. We drove down to the bus station, hopped on the trolley for one dollar and rode it to Target. Picked up a few things .... got back on the trolley and headed back to the bus station.

... and wouldn't you know. I think he had just about as much fun as Disneyland. The simple pleasures of a four year old. The big 'ol smile is his reaction when the trolley was coming back to pick us up.

... and most of all. I'm glad we can humor Dan with our ridiculous adventure :0)

Have a GREAT weekend!

"Staycation"

2011-07-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

I guess that's a fancy word for when you do things around home and don't go anywhere? The disaster in our kitchen has kind of put a damper on any out of town adventures. RGH! I've managed to find a few adventures to keep the four year old content. Dan has worked everyday since we returned from Anaheim ... for the most part it's been me and my buddy :0)

This B-25 airplane visited Wenatchee last week. Since our return from Anaheim all Caden has wanted to do is "play airport" so the timing was perfect!

Caden was able to sit in the cock-pit. He loved all of the buttons! I didn't get a picture from the outside looking in at him since he wouldn't stay in there alone.

... of course they had the souvenir airplanes for purchase. Caden scored another airplane for his collection.

We went Camping .... Camping in our backyard :0) Caden was THRILLED to put up the tent.We took him camping when he was five months old and haven't been since :0( The neat thing about this campground is it comes complete with wi-fi. Ha! Ha! I've been wanting to take Caden camping but Dan hasn't been up for it. There's no way Caden and I are adventuring out to the campgrounds ourselves so we "roughed it" in our backyard .... complete with a bath for the little Mr. in the house before we hit the tent ... and microwave popcorn once we hit the tent. Because ... doesn't every campground have a microwave ;0) I bought him a Bernstein Bears DVD to watch in the tent (again, yes, I know roughing it!) I find it funny he likes the Bernstein Bears because I had the same books growing up.

After our movie, Caden decided he was hungry ... again! I didn't want to go back in the house so we called Dan on the cell phone, who was inside the house to bring Caden a banana ... yes, I know, roughing it with our personal servant :0) ... and Caden and I were giggling the whole time. It was fun having Dad wait on us.

I'd have to say he loved sleeping in the tent! Considering he wanted to sleep in there again the next night :0)

We headed out to the Anjou Bakery .... Caden calls it the "angry bakery". So silly. Seriously cheap entertainment. Buy the kid a cookie, give him a plastic cup, and the irrigation fountain and he is a happy camper, all the while Mommy soaks up some rays. ~ and I am again reminded how we live in a small town. One two hour adventure and we see five different people (all in different groups) that we know. Good thing I looked presentable :0)

How I wish I was better at imaginative play. I am told daily I don't play right. What ever four year old. Sorry I don't make the correct airplane noise :0) I did manage to create a spiffy little runway on the coffee table for the monster.

Nothing like summer evening fun horsing around in the front yard:

Creating strawberry smoothies ... Dan took out this counter last night ... so now I am down to ONE kitchen counter. I might loose my marbles!

I think this is the highlight of Caden's summer. Helping Dad fix the kitchen. ... and to think, we spent how much going to Anaheim? :0) I also dig the crocs with his jammies. The floor is so disgusting he cant be in there without shoes.

Yesterday was gorgeous! 90 plus degrees. We played in the water in the little pool ~ and I enjoyed the sun and our yard.

... and this morning we woke to a pretty impressive thunderstorm. In which Caden wanted all of the windows and blinds shut! Once the thunder moved on and it was just rain he couldn't wait to get out and play.

Enjoy your week!

You know the best thing about Summer?

2011-07-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

You can stay outside till the sun goes down ...

... in your jammie top, with no shoes ...

... and mow the grass in your big boy underwear

I know a certain little boy who hearts summer!

The Mess we came Home to ~

2011-07-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

While we were in Anaheim Abe called to tell Dan that their was a puddle of water on the floor near the dishwasher. We have a separate valve for each water source in our garage, so Dan told Abe to turn off the valve for the dishwasher.

Two days later Abe called back to say the water was back. So Dan had Abe turn off the water to the whole house ..... but it was too late.

Dan's parents stopped by on Friday ... four or so days after Abe first noticed the water .... Dan's Dad started exploring and found the leak was coming from the valve that runs the hose to the refrigerator for the water. I guess it was puddling up in front of the dishwasher since that is a low point in the floor.

It's AMAZING the damage a $9.00 pipe that failed can do :0( .... That brass valve has a pin sized hole in it. The frustrating thing is our house is only 9 years old. I wouldn't expect the plumbing to fail already. Guess I'm clueless!

What are the chances? We've never had a major problem with our house. We leave for 10 days and this happens. I am thankful Abe was here though. I can only imagine where the water would have run or how high it would have gotten had it not been turned off.

Okay ... the positives out of it. We will get new flooring through out the whole house except for the bedrooms. The kitchen floor is clearly shot as well as part of the family room floor. Our family room, dining room, kitchen and living room kind of flow together. There is no real place where the carpet stops. That was a surprise when insurance said they would cover the carpet through the other rooms as well. .... and we also get new kitchen cupboards (on the bottom) and counter tops. Waiting to see if they will replace the upper kitchen cabinets as well. If not it might be kind of tricky to find the exact same cabinets to match the top. I wasn't planning on a home remodel this summer.

... and the other positive. Caden keeps me humored. As I was talking to my Mom on the phone the other morning Caden was in the process of disassembling his kitchen. Literally taking the screws out to get the door off.

I was told, "Mom, my kitchen is broke. This is a big mess, its going to be a couple of weeks before its fixed".
... and as he was climbing on the chair to high heavens in his LP way and I told him, "Caden, I'm not sure that's safe" he replied with, "It's okay Mom, you just keep an eye on me". Whatever ... He's Four :0)

I was looking forward to a summer with no Drama! I wanted to be spoiled and just enjoy my 8 weeks off of work. ... nonetheless we are still finding time for summer fun. I guess I have to learn it wouldn't be a summer if there wasn't some "drama".

... and I'm off to Home Depot again. Caden thinks this is great! A house in shambles, eating out lots and numerous trips to the home improvement store. Me, not so much!

Convention Wrap Up & Disney Days Two through Five

2011-07-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday was our last morning at the convention ... Caden played around for a bit and then we headed over to check into the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland.

Caden's shirt for the day fit him to a T "I'm a crabby little guy". Notice, 80+ degrees and he is wearing sweat pants. It was a battle almost every day to get him to wear something other then sweat pants and his red crocs. I'm quite perplexed ... I thought these clothing wars only occurred with girls?! Thursday was by far the WORST day for Caden. I think he had a total of four melt downs and all of us were ready to loose our marbles. The best gift was him going to bed Thursday night!

The convention was fun! Was it the funnest of the three we have been to? No! I missed my East Coast LP family. But it was still fun. We had fun with our friends that were able to make it. How lucky are we to have such and extended "family"?!

It is fun to see things "starting to click" with Caden. For instance yesterday he asked me regarding Dan's friend that is coming over "is he little like me"? Again, one of the main reasons we attend these conventions. So Caden knows he isn't alone.

The doctor visits were reassuring, new friends were made, and time was well spent with friends. Caden had fun. He has never had so many bruises, scratches, and small cuts. Nor do I think I have ever seen him sweat so much from running around. THANK YOU to my family for helping get us there!

~Dallas will be here before we know it! Time to start saving again ~

Onto Disneyland!

Our hotel wasn't quite ready when we arrived so we headed over to Bugs Land ....

I'm wondering if Caden thinks that the two goomba's standing off to the right are part of the ride? :)

I was quite disappointed in Disney's lack of Cars2 excitement. The Cars ride isn't yet finished. You were able to get your picture taken with Lightening and Matter, but that was about it. ... and Caden is against posing for pictures these days, so he took a quick look at the cars and was out.

We attempted to see the Aladdin performance, but Caden freaked and wasn't having it. So my Mom, Dad and Dan stuck around for the show while Caden and I went to check into our room. ... Caden LOVED the bunk beds in the room. ...and I quickly put crabby down for a nap.

RideMakerz (Downtown Disney) ... or Money Makers as I will refer to it ... the equivalent to Build A Bear, but for boys. Dan and Caden gathered parts, and before I knew it we were walking out with an $80.00 remote control car for a four year old. Ridiculous!

Yes, this is Disneyland and yes, this is my child playing with his new truck off to the side. During this time he also told me, "Mom, you see that grass? I think they mowed it today".

Really people ~ Disneyland with Caden was an adventure.

*He could care less about the characters. ~ He actually seemed kind of annoyed with them more then

frightened.

*If we had told him he couldn't go on any rides he would have been ok with it.

*The rides or attractions I thought he would like, he didn't. The rides that I thought, "no way will he

want to go on that", he did want to go on.

*He would have been perfectly content hanging out in the Disney Hotel room on his bunk beds the

entire four days.

*Disneyland was right up his alley as far as cleanliness. He loved that he could find a trash can within
three feet of him. It fit his OCD personality to a T.

Dan and Caden had fun on Tom Sawyers Island ~ which is now known as Pirate's Lair. Dan loved Tom Sawyers Island as a kid. So it was cute that Caden liked it just as much.

Caden liked going in and out of the caves. Again surprising me, because he hates tunnels, so I thought no way will he go in the caves.

We stumbled upon the "Soundsational Parade" just as it was starting. I was so excited because I knew that if I had told Caden we were going to go to a parade he wouldn't have wanted to go. However some little buddy ended up digging this parade :0)

These two pictures are my favorites from our Disney adventure. Chip n Dale took Goofy's drum stick and Caden was cracking up. True belly laughing going on here :0)

Everyone knows I love a parade. I was a bit let down in Disney's parade's this time around. They only had the one parade to choose from. Usually they have a different one at California Adventure, but not this time. The parade was also very limited on the number of characters. It just didn't seem like a traditional Disney Parade.

Caden's favorite attraction was Autopia. Dan and I had fun following Caden and my Mom this time around on the ride. Caden thought it was hilarious when Dan bumped him.

Here we are waiting for our reservation at The Blue Bayou. Caden was wound up! Climbing on my parents and making everything a joke. Then we finally get brought to our table. He freaks out because it is too dark .... so we end up leaving. Again, an adventure with Caden! My parents ended up going to a nice dinner alone and Dan and I take the "brat" back to the room to regroup.

YES, we went on the huge Mickey wheel. This was one of those rides where I didn't even ask Caden if he wanted to go because I thought NO way. But he asked ... and he liked it.

My parents headed back home Saturday afternoon .... and Saturday evening we met up with Dan's cousin Jeremy, and his wife Brenda as well as their son Cole (they left their youngest, Samantha, with a sitter). Dan and Jeremy grew up together ~ it is always fun when they have a chance reconnect. ... and I love that Cole and Caden are close to the same age.

The parade was once again starting as we entered Disneyland ... and Caden wanted to wait and watch it (maybe he will end up loving a parade as much as me :0)) I love his excitement/anticipation:

Have I mentioned yet how crowded Disneyland was?! YES Friends .... see the below picture. That is a July Saturday Night at Disneyland. My advice = Never go to Disneyland in July! Honestly, if the convention hadn't been two miles from Disneyland we wouldn't have went to Disney. I knew it was going to be crowded ... I had mentally tried to prepare myself. It was shoulder to shoulder people! NO wonder Caden wanted to play off to the side with his truck. The lines for the rides were so long ... the fast passes ran out ... It feels like we didn't see that many attractions because so much time was spent weaving through people and waiting in line.

Anyway, back to the cousins .... Dan and Brenda chowing down on their Turkey Legs ~ ick. However they loved them.

I'm not so sure if I'm loving four. Its definitely and adventure. I asked for a smile, this is the reaction I got.

Loving the Disneyland Pool ~

.... somewhere under the towels is a kid. This is how he chose to dry off.

YES! Smiling pictures. Only because I told him he couldn't have the Reese's Candy unless he gave me a big smile. Bribery ~ works :0)

I was bummed that Caden wouldn't see the Disney Live on Stage with me. We waited in line, got inside and he freaked (same reaction as Aladdin) But yet he will go on the huge Mickey wheel?!

Our last night at Disney ... 7:30 and both boys are asleep. I grabbed my camera and purse ... went in and out of each store on Main Street ... bought some souvenir garbage .... had a Pina Colada ... oh how nice it was to be alone :0)

Dan says we will try Disneyland again when Caden is 8. I say when he is 6 ... but whenever it is, it will be in October or February. Their least crowded months. Never again in July ....

Up next ... the mess we came home to ... ugh :0(

Pretend City Children's Museum & Playin Around

2011-07-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we went to the Pretend City Children's Museum. This place rocked! I think it was made for Caden :0) I spent the majority of the time wondering/wishing that a place like this would be successful in Wenatchee. What a business opportunity, but unfortunately we don't have the population or demographics to support it.

Caden "friended" this fire truck and spent the majority of his time in it. He even used it as a stool. Smart Kid.

... and yes. even a mower.

Parking his firetruck. Time to go :0( If you are in the Southern California area, this place is a must for young kids. Lots of fun and imaginative play.

After Pretend City we went back to the convention hotel. Caden had TONS of fun playing with his buddies! ... and my parent's arrived to spend a few days with us.

Caden played SO hard on Wednesday. He was sweatier then I've ever seen him multiple times through out the day ... and did I mention there was no nap thrown in there. So our evening ended at 9:30 with his biggest meltdown ever! It was classic :0(

Up Next Four days of Disney ....

Disneyland Day Number One & the Pool

2011-07-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was our first day at Disneyland! For those of you that truly know me, you know I love all things Disney. Which explains why we bought 5 day park hoppers! I couldn't wait to take Caden!

This was the best picture I could get of him with his ticket. He has had it with me and the camera. Rgh!

Great Grandma. I knew you would have loved a picture of Caden with Ghepeto (sp). But as you can see in the below picture,Caden's whiney hand was up and it wasn't happening. Much as I expected Caden doesn't like the characters. He is thouroughly not enthused with them, and disgusted that I like them. Little brat!

By the time we are done with Disney, Caden will have squirted every inch of the place. Notice the finger's in his mouth. He was a little uncertain about this place.

Caden's first ride of choice was of course ... Autopia. He has been looking at this one online for months.

... and I'ld have to say, he wasn't dissapointed :0) Loved it!

Next up, was It's a Small World ..

... and it's a good thing we had the headphones in the pack ...

... but once he had his head phones on he liked it. He was excited to see "noch.noch" (Pinochio).

Waiting in line with Caty and Hanna for the Dumbo ride

... and heaven forbid I leave his side for a minute to snap a cute picture of the girls! For peets sake!

Waiting in line for Casey Jr ...

Caden was also very excited to go see Mickey's house .... little did he know who was waiting for him at the end .. tee.hee :0)

Caden and Caty were so funny in the house. They would run from one thing to another, faster then Jaime and I could get the camera's focused.

Yep. clearly wasn't having a picture with Mickey.

Maybe, eventually I will have to Photoshop Caden into some of these pictures. It's the only way I am going to have a picture of him with the characters.

After spending the morning at Disneyland we went to meet several of our friends at Downtown Disney.

We attempted to get a cute group shot ... but children are squirly, and it didnt help I had the wrong lense on my camera, I forgot the other one at the hotel :0( Here's a few shots:

Dan golfed with the DAAA while we were at Disney. After Caden rested and Dan got back to the hotel we went down to the pool. This was Caden's first time going in a big swimming pool (anything outside of the backyard pool). He LOVED it! I think swimming lessons are in order for him!

Still several days of our vacation left ... next up the Children's museum and more Disney :0)

Days Two & Three

2011-07-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

These big brown eyes say it all. These conferences can be overwhelming ... especially when you are four years old and you are a little puzzled as to why everyone here looks a little "different". It's taken Caden a couple days to "adjust" but his silliness is slowly oozing out. I think he is starting to make the connection that these "friends" are small just like him. ...which justifies why we come to these conferences.

We finally met the Chase's in "real" life Sunday Morning. I think in their own environments these two boys could get into real trouble :0) ... Caden was a little shy at first and Aidan is all boy! He's a little stunt man. But they quickly began to share each others cars.

Sunday the Murphy's were kind enough to pick us up at the hotel and take us out to Huntington Beach. Hello. Loved It! I have only been to Washington Beaches. NO comparison. And from what I hear Hawaii beaches are even better then California Beaches. Someone else also loved the beach .... say a certain four year old named Caden :0) The worlds biggest sandbox. He was in Heaven ....

.... and the sweet company of this darling little girl, Caty, made it all the more fun!

Seriously. I'm such a tourist. I had to snap a picture of these little surfer kids. I've never seen real surfer's before .... and these kids were so adorable. They looked like they should be right out of a magazine.

Love this Kid!

Our late afternoon/evening was low key at the hotel. Caden & Dan found the arcade. Complete with free video games and pedal extenders on the race car games. Not sure who had more fun ... Dan or Caden?!

He is so done with the camera. This is the smile I get when asked ... really?!

Monday morning we had our medical advisory board appointments with Dr. Ain and Dr. Pauli. Dan and I have been concerned about Caden's legs. His legs are showing bowing and Caden complains quite a bit of leg pain.
The good news is neither of the doctors are concerned :0) Dr. Pauli explained it to us that the muscle that holds Caden's knees in place is weak (which is normal in an achon). He said in an average height child it is the equivalent of an ACL tear ... but in LP's that is just how it is. So not great news. But at the same time no surgery is needed now ... and we can continue to manage the pain with Tylenol.

After the doctors we headed out to watch a little DAAA soccer. We watched Zach Roloff's team play ....

.... and Caty and Caden had fun kicking around the soccer ball.

The LPA hosted a carnival last night at the hotel ... it was a bit crowded and loud, but Caden managed to find some fun in it, once he had his headphones :0)

Miss Madilyn is toooo cute! She wanted to hold Caden's hand and he wasn't having much of it.

No fireworks pictures this year ~ Caden wasn't having it. He was one tired boy ... who fell fast asleep with his "ocean" in his hand. Got to love those junk souvenir stores.

We are having fun, however the humidity down here is awful! I have yet to have a good hair day - blech!

Next up ... Disneyland Day One!

We Arrived ~

2011-07-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

I'm no genius ... but I think I had one very excited little boy last night. Considering he went to bed with his "link".

... and he awoke me at 6:15 this morning letting me know it was time to go to Anaheim. Waiting in the driveway for Abe ... in which he instructed Abe the whole way to the airport, "don't forget to watch my toys, mow the grass, keep ki-ki out of our house, etc.". Quite the little boss! (Thank You Abe for staying at our house while we are gone!)

Boarding plane number one .... annoyed that I have the camera out ....

This was a great day for Caden ... considering it was all about transportation. Watching airplanes, scoring new toys at the airport ....

.... riding in the taxi. I really think this was the highlight of Caden's trip. All he has talked about for months was riding in the taxi.

Finally, 10 hours after leaving our house we made it to the hotel!

We are worn out! But so Thankful to be here! Thank You friends and family who "helped" us get here! Looking forward to a day full of fun tomorrow, which includes a trip to the beach with a few of our friends!

More Summer Fun ~

2011-06-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

I think someone could get real used to this no school ~ no daycare business

Simple Summer Weekend Fun ~

2011-06-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

I love a simple weekend ... a weekend with "no where to be" .... except home .... playing in the sand box, eating our lunch on the deck, with our tools ... and head phones on because Dad had the power tools running ....

... taking, maybe a 15 second break in the shade ...or playing outside in our jammies while tormenting Dad who was thinning the peach tree ...

... or trying to remind Dad he is only four, he won't be going pro anytime soon :0)

... and driving our Lightening McQueen car on the splash pad!

Simple. Stay at Home. Weekend Fun.

Seven ~

2011-06-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

That's one pretend Diego and Seven Little Achon Fingers :0)

Caden Joseph

It's Never Ending ....

ENT & Camp Korey

Better Yet?!

Where did he go?!

Good Morning 2012 and

Wrapping Up 2011

Christmas Travels

Santa Arrived

{Merry Christmas}

~ Holiday Happenings ~

Holiday School Fun

••• Santa & Catchin Up •••

Elfin Around

•It's Beginning to Feel Alot ...

{Meet Lollipop}

•Turkey Day Weekend•

Saturday Fun

He's Been Waiting for This ~

{raking Leaves with a Four year old}

a Seattle weekend

•Happy Halloween•

Grab a Coffee ....

Amazing!

{Fall}

~October IS Dwarfism Awareness Month~

Potty Reward

**Four and a Half & Finally **

Meet the Teacher & First Day of Pre-School

Caden's First "Pet"

Fun at the Little Train

Starbucks Settlement

Last Day of Summer :o(

Bowling!

Our Weekend Adventure!

Our "Staycation" Continued ...

"Staycation"

You know the best thing about Summer?

The Mess we came Home to ~

Convention Wrap Up & Disney Days Two through Five

Pretend City Children's Museum & Playin Around

Disneyland Day Number One & the Pool

Days Two & Three

We Arrived ~

More Summer Fun ~

Simple Summer Weekend Fun ~

Seven ~

Four and a Half & Finally