Happy Times

There's nothing like hiking in the hot summer sun with a cup of milk. Mmmmm.

Here's the bike Jay bought while I was in Atlanta. Now that he's in Denver I wonder what I should purchase....Hmmmmm....

Born to be wild

It definitly goes with your shirt, put shouldn't you consider pants as well?

Caden decided he was tired one day and arranged his old carseat so that he could lounge and watch TV. I covered him with a blanket and snapped a picture.

Mmmmm...hot mustard sauce

Here is Caden and I enjoying a reviting game of peek-a-boo.

Here is Caden exploring Dakota's eye balls.

Mmmmm...Caden getting his first taste of Mcdonalds Condiments.

Funny little man.

ABCDEFGHI KLMNOP....It's just not the same without J

As previously reported, Jay left this morning for Denver, Colorado...leaving me alone with a sick baby and a broken heart...alright, that's a bit dramatic, but I do miss him alot.
Most days Jay is gone 12 hours anyway, but around 8pm when he wasn't pulling up, my heart got heavy and I began missing him terribly.
He's my sanity at the end of the day.
Ugh...if we didn't have such a good thing going I wouldn't feel this way! Stupid heart full of love :)
Luckily he'll be back late Friday night so I think we'll survive till then.

Caden is doing better after a 5 day episode of extremely high fever. He was pushing 105.5 and was really sad and pitiful. The nurse informed me that as miserable as 105 can be, it's not as dangerous as alot of people think, and as long as he responds to medication there is no reason to panic. Luckily the antibiotics are doing the trick and his temperature was down to normal tonight.

If anyone really wants a lonely woman and her crazy-monkey baby over for dinner this week, I am happy to report we are available!

My husband is not the only one who shamelessly invites himself over for dinner!

Aw, I miss that crazy man....hurry Friday, hurry.

Baby Fever

I think I've written a blog with this title before....that's ok, it's still fitting.
Caden has been battling a fever ranging from 102.8-105.2 for the past 4 days. He's on anti-biotics right now so hopefully he'll be back to his regular self in no time, but until then he is a little ball of heat, congestion and wimpering. When he is not sleeping he is wimpering, crying and whining non-stop...not that I can blame him. He's not really eating anything but he's staying hydrated so that's what matters I suppose.
When he is sick he wants to be held 24/7, which is nice for cuddling purposes but right now my arms are incredibly sore and I can't eat anything that takes more that 5 minutes to make and eat.
On top of this, Jason left this morning for Denver and will be gone until Friday and I can't really leave the house.
So if anyone out there is bored and wants to drive to Crawfordville, we'd love a visitor or two!
Or call...we need some contact to the outside world.

I hate money

I do. I reeeeaaalllly do. I don't believe that it can bring you happiness, but not having enough of it can definitly make you unhappy. I hate what having too much of it does to people. I hate what the persuit of it can do to people too. I hate that it makes the world go round. I hate that it dictates what you can do with your life, in my case it controls how often I can see my family. I hate how it limits the potential of so many people who just don't have enough of it and how, in alot of cases, it can make or break your dreams. Whether you can go to school, stay home with your child, own a home, get health coverage.
I hate it and yet I need it. I need it to live, to take care of Caden. I need more of it if we're ever going to have another kid. I'm constantly wrestling with the thought of going back to work but I know that's not where my heart is. My quest wouldn't be for prestige or to follow my career path. It would only be for money. To prepare for the future...to elliminate enough debt so that sooner than later I could return home and have less stress and then planning for a bigger family wouldn't be such an impossible task. So many mothers only work out of necessity for money, to create a better life for their kids. I know so many moms who would quit their jobs in a heart beat if they could. These women are stronger than I am. I fear falling apart everytime I walk out the door. There are days where I want to rip my hair out because of Caden overload, but most days are fun and beautiful and I can't imagine missing any of his crazy antics. Stupid money.
The other downside is that at this point in my life I am the most unmarketable 23 year old on the planet. I have been out of the workplace for almost 2 years. When I did work, all of my work experience was with The Salvation Army, an organization to which I am not looking to return. In order to get back into a paid ministry position I would probably have to do so in another church and that's kind of a non-negotiable for me. So I don't even know that anyone would hire me. I know that I have alot of things to offer but my resume certainly doesn't. If anyone knows how to make someone like myself sound appealing to potential employers, please write my resume for me. I'll give you a dollar :)
On a lighter note, I have somehow developed the ability to eat like a cow and still loose weight! On our trip to Disney I ate carbs like it was going out of style and I lost 3 pounds! Yesterday I ate chocolate, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, a hamburger and fries and this morning I was another pound lighter! Maybe I have worms....if I do, I LOVE THEM!

Cry

Tonight on my way home from worship team practice I had a really ugly but much needed cry...you know the ugly cry...the one where you're whole face feels like it's turning inside out and you sob out loud, releasing all of the emotion you've balled up from weeks prior. I'm not much for crying infront of people so I often save my emotional outbursts for the shower or car. There's something so refreshing about having a big, ugly cry. Afterwards I'm exhausted and I have a headache but luckily I'm able to save the ugly cry until the end of the day so I can collapse into bed and wake up with my drama tank on empty, just where I like it.

The Most Magical Place on Earth?

In front of Cinderella's Castle

Watching Mickey go by at the parade

Caden taking in the sights and sounds of, "It's a small world after all."


Here is Jason terrified of the robotic children on the, "It's a small world after all" ride. This photo cracks me up.

Grandma, Jason and Caden on the carousel. Caden had this look on his face the whole time...as though he rides giant horses everyday and was completely bored with idea of doing it again. It was pretty funny.

Here's Jay and Caden with some Cow...she had a short line up so we picked her over Chip and Dale.

Bored while waiting 2 hours for Splash Mountain.

Tuckered out after a long day

We are back from the Wonderful World of Disney.
On Monday we packed up and headed down to Orlando. After getting a little lost and being rained on, we made it to our hotel and then met up with Jay's parents. We had a great dinner, hung out for a bit and then headed back to our hotel to rest up for the following day. Caden slept pretty well from 10:00-7:00. I was stressed out for nothing. I tend to imagine the worst case scenerio and end up relieved when things go well.
We got up and made the trek to the Magic Kingdom. We parked, walked, got on the monorail, walked some more and were finally inside the gates 30 minutes after arriving. Tackling the magic kingdom with a stroller is much more challenging than going it with your own two feet, but Caden was a trooper and behaved like a perfect gentleman the entire time. We took in the carousel, the PhilHarmonic 3-D movie (where Caden actually kept his 3-D glasses on for the show!) and the "It's a small world afterall" boat ride. If you've never done this particular ride, it is a boat ride through a tunnel that is adorned with robotic children from around the world singing in different languages. It was adorable, however Jason (not being a big kid person) was terrified of the robotic children which is what inspired the hilarious photo above. Probably one of the funniest pictures I've ever taken.
We then ate lunch and Jay's parents graciously gave us 2.5 hours of baby free fun. They took Caden to The Country Bears Jamboree, shopping and icecream eating. Meanwhile, Jason and I spent our entire 2.5 hours lined up for Splash Mountain. The man behind us in line was from Toronto and was telling us that it took him less time to fly from Canada to Florida than it took to ride Splash Mountain. Pretty funny.
During this time we took in the sights and sounds and came to the conclusion that as neat as Disney is, it's probably not the most magical place on earth. In fact, if you look around and study the faces, people look pretty disgruntled, hot and aggitated. We saw more children crying than laughing out loud and one woman was in her child's face sternly saying through gritted teeth, "You're going to ride this ride and you're going to have fun!"
Whoever does the marketing for Disney ought to spend a day there. We had a great time, but if it's the most magical place on earth then that doesn't say much for the planet! :)
In the end Splash Mountain was awesome because we got the front seat.
We then met up with grandparents and the boy just in time for the 3pm parade and then we washed our hands of Disney and went back to the hotel for some swimming. The cool water felt so good after the long sweaty day at the park.
We proceeded to dinner. Caden saved up all his restless, crazy rebellious energy for this lag in the journey so we all took turns walking around the resteraunt with him to keep him from screaming. I think he was just so tired he couldn't handle it anymore. Luckily Outback had a kid corner with toys and he hung out over there where each of us took a shift supervising his play.
We went back to the hotel, put the baby down, took a nice soak in the jacuzzi tub and slept like babies....all 3 of us!
It was a great time had by all. It was especially nice just hanging out with Jay's parents and watching them love on Caden. We miss everyone up north so much. Luckily my Mom is coming in 3 weeks and Jay's parents will be back in October so the time should fly by.
As for Disney, it was a different but fun experience with a baby...and maybe in a decade when we attempt it again it will be just as magical!

Disney Bound

On Monday we are heading to Disney...The Most Magical Place on Earth. We'll be meeting Jason's parents there for some much needed visiting and vacationing. Jay hasn't taken a day off in a while so he is greatly looking forward to not having to go to work. We also haven't seen his parents since October so it's going to be great to laugh and catch up. I'm looking forward to the time away, seeing family and taking in the magic that is Disney. I am not looking forward to sharing a hotel room with Caden or the oppresive heat. Canadians do not do well in those situations. We melt.
Last time I traveled with Caden he did really well in a pac-n-play however he had his own room. The last time we travelled and shared a room together it was not so great. He is not use to having squatters on his turf during sleepy time and he tends to wake up very easily...and since my husband is the loudest person on earth in the middle of the night (no offense Jay), I forsee a sleepless couple of days. The pros greatly outweigh the cons though and we should have a blast and a half.
So off we go to conquer space mountain, splash mountain and any other kind of mountain we encounter.
I'll post some pics when we get back!

Big Boy Haircut

I decided that what I had done to Caden's head was not fair to him :) so I took him to the 'His and Her Barber Shop' of Wakulla county and Voila! My little baby now looks like a little boy who likes to light fires and start fights. My, how time does fly!
Although it might appear as though Caden is sticking his finger in the electrical outlet in picture #1 causing his tongue to turn blue in picture #2, I promise that no electricuion occured in the photographing of this baby and the blue tongue is from a post-hair cut lolly-pop.

Here are some pics from Lance's Mexican birthday celebration. He graciously lent Caden his b-day sombraro.

Pictures

Red Neck Baby

"I love it when mom makes brownies"

Notice that I have taken the high chair covering off for a reason...It's just easier to hose it down when he's done.

What a yummy baby

I decided to save some cash and cut Caden's hair myself. I only did the back so that he would still have plenty of hair for spiking but no mullet.

I think I did a pretty good job!

Time Well Spent

Yesterday I rocked Caden while he slept for an hour and a half. He's always been so active that he hasn't let me do that since he was about 4 months old!
It was really nice to decompress, hug my little man and pray over Him.
I can't imagine a better way to spend an afternoon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE

Happy Birthday Amy!


Happy Birthday Jacqueline!


Happy Birthday Lance!


Happy Birthday Julie!


Man, I go broke on cards this time of year!

"Come they told me pa-rum-pa-pum-pum..."

So I just finished a book that my Father bought me and forced me to read called Cure for the Common Life. I hate to admit it (only because you never want to prove your dad right:) but it's a great read.
I had actually started the book a few months ago and got really into it. Then we moved, it got put in a box and then put back on the book shelf and I forgot all about it until the other day when Dad called and asked, "Did you finish that book yet???"

So last night while Jay insisted on watching another 'Man versus Wild' Marathon, I found the book and finished it. I highly recommend it to anyone who can read.
One chapter really stood out to me about parenting and how if you are open and willing to learn, you can tell from the time your child is very small what his/her passions are and what God has shaped him/her to be just by watching them, listening to them, affirming them and cheering them on.

Lately I've been noticing just how much our upbringing shapes the people that we become. You can really figure someone out if you figure out how they were raised. Kids whose parents weren't affectionate at all often grow up desperately seeking love and attention or they grow up unable to show the love that they feel. Little girls whose dad's walked out on them or only complimented them by saying, "You're so pretty," grow up not trusting men and thinking that all they have to offer is their bodies. Kids whose parents affirmed and praised them grow up to be confident. Kids whose parents force them into a life they are not meant for grow up confused and resentful. Kids whose parents let them quit anything they didn't want to do grow up scared and unmotivated. Kids whose parents modeled Christ grow up with a better understanding of who God is.
Two big things I have learned recently:
1) Hurt people, hurt people.
2) People will view God they way they view their father...this is why it is so hard for people whose fathers walked out on them to believe that God really loves them and that he isn't going anywhere.

I'm learning that there are some things that every child needs.
- Crazy amounts of love, kissing and hugging. Caden is absolutly smothered in kisses everyday. He may be grossed out and eventually embarassed, but at least he knows he is LOVED. I want to ensure that he doesn't have to turn to any girl he can find, drugs, cults or anything else to feel accepted, valued and loved.
- Affirmation. I remember always feeling important and when I did something well I knew my parents were proud of me. My mom's face would light up when I did the smallest thing well and I grew up with a sense of pride in myself and my abilities, not needing constant recognition for a job well done. I think I kind of go overboard with Caden in this department because it seems like he claps for himself anytime he does ANYTHING...it's pretty funny...but it won't be if he keeps doing that for the rest of his life. Hopefully when he's 18 he won't clap violently and squeal everytime he gets the square block in the square hole.
- To be listened to. Your child is different than you and could very well possibly excel at completely different things and have completely different interests than you. That's ok. This means that I need to be prepared if Caden can't carry a tune in a bucket or if he (heaven forbid) loves football. I need to be attentive starting now and try and decifer just what it is God has created Caden to be. When I see it I need to encourage it and foster it even if it's not what I am necessarily crazy about it...like football....but if he;s meant to be a little NFL man I will fake a passion for football till it hurts to cheer him on....oh Lord please don't let it be football....

The truth is, I am already begining to see a passion in my little boy that some might scoff at but I truly see developing in him. My little man can drum! He is passionate about drumming and he's only 16 months old! Wherever we are, anything can be used as drumsticks and everything is a drum. Crayons and a table, sticks and a bench in the park, spoons and a bowl, pens and the floor. He is constantly druming and he is fascinated with watching drummers. The doctor gave him two tongue depressors and was amazed at his rhythm and ability to drum with both hands.
Some might say this is a passing craze, but I think God might have something different to say.

So I encourage anyone who is blessed with a child to bring up, to look at your task as raising a healthy adult. What you do when they are young will shape them when they are older and it's alot easier to do it that way than to try and reverse what is already done. That's why parenting is such a daunting and scary thing...at least to me...because we hold God's vessles in our hands and it's our job to raise them to be the people he wants them to be.

So, do future generations of people a favor and raise up healthy, confident, kind, self sufficient, Christ-fearing children of God who are living out the passions God has given them.

Day 6

I've had this dull but constant headache for about 6 days now. Despite various attempts with naps, cold cloths, generous head squeezes from my husband and medication, it continues to return with a force that is not to be reckoned with. I think it's the weather. blah.
Anyway, yesterday I was washing dishes and I looked outside and saw the biggest, nastiest spider I had ever seen. At first I thought a frog had gotten caught in a spider web because the thing looked way to big to be a spider but alas, it was. Big fat nasty spider.
Then I looked above him and there was another one...I looked to the side and there was one more. At the end of my count, I saw about 8 vicious attack spiders starring at me while I washed the dishes. I got really nervous. Were they moving in on me? Were they planning on attacking?
I went to Walmart to buy killing spray and called Jay, informing him that he was to go on a death spree when he got home.
I went to a meeting at church and arrived home around 9:30. Jay was sitting on the couch exhausted from his evening of killing. Apparantly there were hundreds of these huge spiders outside...all over the air conditioner, in every corner of the house and where I had spotted the, above the kitchen window. He used the entire can of spray to kill them and then he beat down their homes with a broom.
I know it sounds mean, but they totally started it!
This morning as Caden and I were heading out to the playground, we could see the dead, nasty spider bodies being eaten by hundred of ants....This is my least favorite about Florida.
Kathy + Bugs = terrified.
Me of them and them of me. It's a vicious cycle.
And with that I bid you farewell because my son is playing drums on the lamp.

Tomorrow I'll do it better

Last night I lay in bed completely disappointed in how I spent the day that God had given me. I didn't play or laugh enough with my Son. I didn't love on my family as deeply as I could have. I didn't eat very well, I didn't take care of my body. I didn't read my bible and I didn't pray...at least not until it was dark and quiet...at which time I asked God to forgive me for wasting a precious day. For letting my headache get the better of my attitude. For watching 'E!News' instead of reading The Word. For getting incredibly frustrated with my Son's temper tantrums. For taking my frustrations out on my husband by acting like a complete zombie when he came home from work.
The older I get the more I cherish life and time and the people I spend it with. The older I get the more aware I am that I have no way of determining how much time I have with my precious family and friends. I'm semi-thankful for this dismal outlook because most days it makes me seize the moment....it makes it impossible for me to allow my husband to leave the house without knowing he is loved more than words....it causes me to basque in the little things, like cuddling with my Son or laughing at his silliness.
Somehow I lost this perspective yesterday.
Thankfully in the stillness of the night I was reminded by a gentle voice from the heavens to love and live everyday as though it's all I've got and I promised myself amidst the tears on my pillow, "Tomorrow I'll do it better."

My Favourite Mom quote to date:

Here's a snibbit of a conversation I had today with my Mom

Kathy: "How have you been I haven't talked to you in a couple of days?"

Mom: "Oh Kathy, I've been as busy as a one armed paper hanger."

Classic.

Caden's New Best Friend

Once again I apologize for the sideways photographs. Since my computer won't let me upload anymore photos, I have to take them directly off my camera and I'm not sure if there's anyway to flip them right side up. Once we get a new computer (which should be next week) this will no longer be a problem.

Jay bought me this stuffed pug puppy when we were dating. Since then I've held onto it because I am a pack rat and consider every little thing to be sentimental.
In this case, I made the right decision because this little puppy has become Caden's absolute favourite toy. He drags 'Gawg' everywhere and says, "Good gawg" and "Good girl" all day long. As you can see in the pictures, Caden has taught 'Gawg' how to use the potty and how to eat goldfish crackers. 'Gawg' loves goldfish crackers.
Anyway, it's the cutest darn thing that I've ever seen.
The last picture is just for cuteness purposes.
Lately he's been saying good, dog, cup, banana, Nan (everytime he sees a phone), Meow (everytime he sees a cat) and the best is when he lets out a big, refreshing 'AH' after he takes a sip of anything. Other than that he understands alot more than he says and does alot of tricks. Is it wrong to refer to them as tricks??? Who knows.

Bad Girl, Bad Girl whatcha gonna do....

My husband and I are huge fans of the tv show COPS. It's actually been our Saturday night 'thing' for quite sometime now. A little chinese food, a little COPS, and on a good night finish it off with some canoli's. Yum.
This week has been my own personal COPS episode as I have been pulled over not once, but twice for speeding...naughty me.
Let me start at the begining.
The first day we moved to Crawfordville, I headed out to the dump with a car full of trash. I was wearing the clothes I had worn to bed the night before and with unbrushed hair and an unwashed face I planned on going straight to the dump and coming straight home.
After a morning long fiasco of realizing the dump was closed and driving from business to business seeking refuge for my trash in a dumpster, I was heading back home frazzled and tired....when I suddenly found myself in the middle of a routine police check....they were checking to make sure that everyone had their lisences on them and I, of course, didn't.
The cop wrote my current address on the back of my registration, ran my name, commented on my foriegn status and let me go with a 7 dollar ticket.
Fast forward to Monday.
On my way home from dropping off Dave after a night in the recording studio, I am speedily making my way home and who should pull me over, but the same cop from the month before!
This time I have my lisence, but it still has my old address and he laughs as he sees his hand writing on the back of my registration. He goes to his car and comes back with a $70.00 ticket for not changing my address and a warning for speeding.
Fast forward to this afternoon.
I'm driving along Blairstone road in Tallahassee chattin on the phone with my Dad and I see the blue and red lights in my rear view
"....This can't be happening...."
But alas, it was.
I hang up on my dad and roll down my window. Different cop this time but he asks me if I knew I was speeding and I give him the excuse that my father called from Canada and I was distracted (sorry dad for throwing you under the bus). He looks back at Caden's seat and tells me his chest straps are too loose. I tell him about how I went to the police station several times for child seat safety instructions and that I appreciate his knowledge and he commends me for my safety efforts.
He goes back to his car and I begin to pray.
"Father, please spare me from a ticket. I tithe!", I remind Him.

Seconds later he comes back with a smirk and says,
"Ma'am, how many times have you been pulled over this week?"

I go into my speech about all of my encounters with law enforcement and he says,
"I gotta tell you, when I look up your name it doesn't look good. You've got 2 warnings and 2 tickets just within a few weeks....but you seem very sweet so I'm going to let you off with another warning...but I promise you next time you're going to get a speeding ticket."

PHEW!

Bad girl, bad girl whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you

Splish, Splash

After a 4th of July down pour in the afternoon, Jason and Caden decided to make the most of it.
It was a great day.
Pictures to come.
Until then, enjoy a little footage.

Happy America Day

Caden and I are off to Sopchoppy for a fun filled red neck adventure.
Apparantly there will be a parade, a BBQ, fireworks and a good time had by all.
I don't really have anything Americany to wear...so hopefully no one will be offended by my orange shirt.
Pics to come.

Amy's Coming!

Now that the word is officially out and the resignation letter is turned in, I can finally talk about it!
AMY'S COMING FOR TWO WHOLE MONTHS!
Amy and I have known eachother since kindergarden. We grew up together and then lived together our first year of university in a run down but totally awesome apartment on Crosbie Road in St. John's, Newfoundland. So many awesome memories, so many good times and now she is taking some time off and spending it here with us!
I am freaking out excited about this.
She's been living in North Carolina for the past two years...it's very frustrating to have someone from home be so close yet so far away...but soon she'll be down the hall! YAY!
We see Jay's parents the end of July, My mom comes the middle of August and then Amy comes the begining of September until November 1st! This is excellent news for an extrovert who has been jonesin for family and friends to hang out with...not that Caden is not fun to hang out with, but I sometimes like having conversations that consist of more than, "Did you go Poo Poo?"
Can't wait! YAY!