A Boy, His Dad and His Mouse

Caden has become a little obsessed with his Daddy. He is always on his best behavior for Daddy and he squeals with glee when he sees him.
Here is the scene every night at our house.


Here is Caden watching Mickey Mouse in French on youtube. He's a big fan of the little guy, and apparantly it doesn't matter what he's saying as long as he is in view.


Here are some more pictures of my handsome man. Starting with the classic evening pose by the door, waiting for 'DADDY!'

I Love My Church

Getting there is difficult, living 40 minutes into the country with one car, a toddler and a husband who works on Sundays. Set up and tear down is taxing and draining. Sometimes the smoke makes it hard to see and the intelligent lighting system hurts my eyes...I can take or leave the production side of things. The stage props are a great touch, but they aren't what keeps me coming back.
I don't need perfectly worded bulletins, elaborate productions, cutting edge video, funky symbols and an ambient setting...although I'm aware of the purpose each thing serves.
The church I love are the individuals who sharpen me, comfort me, make me laugh, let me cry and help me to be a better person for myself, my family and my God.
People who don't judge me when I question, who value my gifts and the authenticity I display when I use them, who ask me how I am and really want to know the answer.
People who love my Son and help me raise him to love God, others and music.
People who make me laugh hysterically at everything...including myself.
People who teach me without making me feel like I'm stupid.
People who just get it...and who make me feel less alone.
I had a really great day at church today, which I knew was going to happen because I didn't want to go this morning. I was dragging my feet, showed up 20 minutes late and honestly didn't care that I wasn't on time...I was sleepy with a tinge of a bad attitude.
That's always how it works. When I am not in the mood to be there I end up having a life changing experience.
There were some powerful moments in the service but for me, today wasn't about the atmosphere, the mood, the music or even the speaking (although all were top notch).
It was the people. It was in them that I felt God's presence.
I am so thankful for my friends.
I Love My Church.

Karston Elias Osteig

10 lbs and 22 inches long
He is perfect. Congrats John, Julie and Ava!

Pictures

I went to Atlanta to see my wonderful friends and have a baby shower (or sprinkle as it's called for baby #2) for Julie.

Julie, the Mommy to be...who for 7 months thought she was having a little girl and then SUPRISE! Last ultrasound revealed a little something extra if ya know what I mean. So excited that Baby Boy Osteig is coming into the world tomorrow.

I had nothing to do with this picture besides taking it....

Feeding Clifford apples...and telling him to 'Chew, Chew, Chew'

This is why I catch everything my Son brings home from daycare!

"I have Mommy'd money! Now what will I buy?...."

"Hmmmmmmmmmm...."

He looks a bit strung out here but he's not...he's watching Mickey Mouse while shaking pre-natal vitamins to the music. Don't worry..they have a child proof cap and he was carefully monitored. haha.

"I'm ready for school!"

Pillow Talk

Last nights pre-sleep conversation

Jason: "I wonder if anyone's ever been born with their face on the back of their head."

Kathy: "I hope so."

Happy Birthday Father

I think we can stop calling your hair colour 'pre-mature' grey now. Haha.
Happy Birthday.

Black and White Photo Shoot

"Hey Caden, How about we take some pictures?"

"NO!"

Cowboy Caden

Cowgirl Mama

Um...mom? I'm not really into this photo shoot...

Getting closer to a good shot...

Finally! A nice picture!

Who Needs Valentines Day!

I was having a pretty bad day yesterday...the baby was being really cranky and I was super tired and unmotivated. I was pretty much at the end of my rope around 7:30 and could not wait for my husband to come home at 7:45...8 o'clock came and he still wasn't here, which was making me a bit nervous. Suddenly he pulled up and I was happier than ever to see those vehicle lights.
He came to the door with a bouquet of flowers and a sweet card. It was perfect timing and very unexpected. I asked if I should save the card till Valentines day to which he thoughtfully replied, "It's up to you. Everyday is Valentines Day to us."
I've always been anti-Valentines day. After spending most of my highschool and college years single, I remember the harsh sting of V-day...or as I called it...singles awareness day.
Now that I've been married for 4+ years to a super dude, everyday is special...everyday is loving....everyday is an excuse to show eachother how much we love eachother...with flowers, with clean laundry, with taking out the trash, with working hard, with raising our Son together and showing him how cool we think eachother is, with laughter, respect, hugs, kisses and thoughtfulness.
If you're single this Vday, who cares! You get to save your money and avoid the Valentines Day crowds...If you're with someone, don't give into the commercialism...use Vday as a reminder to be thoughtful everyday of the year.
Who needs Valentines Day!

Happy Birthday Mom-in-Law

Happy Birthday Cathy!
May the snow cease and the temperature rise in celebration of your special day!
Miss you.

Funny Moment

After dumping the household trash and taking it outside, I returned to find my son independently cleaning out his ears.
He greeted me at the door like this:


Yay for toddlers with personal hygiene.

My Current Soap Box

I've been in the States for about 5 years now and am just starting to obtain an understanding of the political system. Canada and America are very different nations in most respects, especially in the area of politics and government. I don't consider myself to be a political person. I honestly believe that when it comes time to vote that the object is to decide the lesser of the evils and go with him/her. All politicians lie, all politicians make empty promises and all politicians spend ridiculous amounts of time, money and resources pushing their own agenda instead of feeding the hungry they speak so passionately about...but aside from all of that, I've actually been following the American political process this year and it's got me a little fired up. Particularly because I have said in several circles that if I were legally able to vote in America, I think I would vote for a democratic candidate.
This is always followed (either in jest or in all seriousness) by:
"So, you are for abortion?"
The answer to that is no. Of course not. As a mother, as a woman and as a Christian, I believe that life begins at conception and that abortion is murder, but I have big problems with politicians using this issue as a platform for votes if they have no intensions of doing anything about it. George Bush is known for being 'pro-life' but guess what? He's been President for 8 years and abortion is still legal, still advertised in the yellow pages, still readily available to women of all ages and still prevalent. If a politician is 'pro-life' and as part of his/her campaign has a plan to illegalize abortion AND set up more funding and support for women who carry unplanned children to term and more effective ways for people who want to adopt to be able to do so without paying out the nose for it, I would be very moved to support that person. Did you know that adoption of an American child in foster care to an American family desperately wanting children can cost up to $20,000.00 or more?
Show me a politician who uses his/her pro-life stance as a means for doing something about it and I would be drawn to that person. But I see no reason in choosing a candidate based on an issue where they passionately share their 'opinion' but in the end plan on doing nothing about.
Some people say that if we illegalize abortion than women will injure themselves trying to do back alley abortions like in the film, "Cider House Rules." I don't think we should maintain a legal way of killing unborn children because otherwise women may make stupid choices. If that was the case we would have to legalize things like assisted suicide and drug use as away of ensuring peoples safety. At the end of the day people have to be responsible for their own decisions so I am absolutly for the illegalization of abortion...but so far no republican candidate has talked about doing that.
Since I am 'pro-life' I am also against euthanasia regardless of the circumstances. This may make me seem cold and ignorant to the pain of terminally ill people but I say this knowing that no matter what happens to me or my family, it is God's right to take our lives. No one else's.
If a democratic politian who is 'pro-choice' was wanting to implement a plan to increase the abortion rate and kill as many embryos as possible, I of course would not vote for that person, but that's not what 'pro-choice' means. I am not defending the 'pro-choice' position because I don't believe in it, but it means that women should be able to choose whether or not they want to carry a conceived child to term...which is exactly the way America works right now under the leadership of a republican, pro-life, 'christian', man. I agree with his opinion on abortion, but am saddened by the way it is used as a tool to obtain the Christian vote instead of means of getting something done. Just because someone is anti-abortion does not mean they have concrete morality in every other area. In being 'pro-life' I am also against capital punishment which is something our current president has no qualms about. Is life only sacred for babies and people who earn the right to live? If we're going to blur religious and political lines anyway than is God not the only one who can take life and isn't all sin the same in his eyes?
So if I was American and if I could vote and if I did vote for a democratic candidate, it would not mean I was 'for' abortion.
It means I am against basing my vote on an issue that isn't going to change regardless of who comes into office and I do not decide a persons morality on one issue in which we differ. It's a big issue, but it's not the only issue...especially if it isn't going to change regardless of who has the power.
I would vote for someone who was going to make a difference. In the same way faith without deeds is dead, so are words without action. Don't bring up abortion if you're not going to change the system.
But no worries. If you completely disagree with me, don't loose sleep over it. I can't vote anyway :)

Waiting for a Futon

We found a great futon on craigslist.com and I am waiting for it to be delivered. The people were nice enough to drive it all the way from the north side of Tallahassee to Crawfordville! I'm trying to keep Caden awake so that all the commotion doesn't disturb his nap, but he is more than ready for some shut eye. He slept for a long time yesterday afternoon so at 6:20 this morning he was ready and rearin to start the day. I think they'll be here soon so hopefully he can keep his eyelids open until after they've left. I found a toy that he had forgotten about so he is very interested in his 'new' singing dog. I love how kids have the memory of goldfish.
Caden has been picking up on alot more words lately. He still has no real interest in verbal communication but he is doing much better. I know his lack of words is not due to his lack of brain power because he is one smart cookie. He is very aware of everything and everyone. He suprises me daily with what he knows and understands. I also know there's nothing wrong with his hearing because he can hum anything you sing to him in near perfect pitch and responds to the slightest whisper of his name. So with no cogintive problems and no hearing problems the only thing left is this: He just doesn't care to talk yet.
A friend told me that some kids who are slow talkers are actually so intellegent and have so much going on in their brains that talking gets put on the back burner. Sounds like far fetched child psychology, but I'll take it! :) Baby Einstein!
He loves to dance, he loves to socialize, he loves to drum, he loves Mickey Mouse (whom he calls 'Eye Eye Ice'), he loves animals (especially dogs, cats, ducks, cows and monkeys), He loves his daddy and can point to his store from a mile away and say 'Dada' in his french accent. He loves to play ball, he loves balloons.
He hates getting his diaper changed, he hates having his nose wiped, he hates it when big people commercials come in the middle of little people shows.
He loves the phone, he loves his friends and family, he loves grapes, apples, goldfish, turkey bacon, french fries and LOTS of milk. He still drinks 4 times the ammount a child his age should, but the doctor assures me there's nothing wrong with him. He just likes beverages!
Well, There are some updates for those of you who are missing some Caden...and I'm still waiting on a futon...

You know you're a redneck when....

You don't take your Christmas lights down till February.
I am officially a Crawfordville redneck.
At least I beat my neighbours...theirs are still hanging beautifully.

Smooth Criminal

Today I received my 4th traffic violation since moving to Crawfordville, less than a year ago.
Let me recap:

Random Monday in April: Was stopped in a road block while looking like total doo doo, wearing the clothes I had worn to bed the night before while frantically trying to find somewhere to dump festering garbage that was in my trunk. My offense was not having my lisence on me and the fine was 7 dollars.

Later that summer: Was stopped for speeding by the same cop that stopped me in April. He remembered me because I was Canadian. He let me off for speeding, but gave me a 70 dollar fine for not having my current address on my lisence.

The next day: Was stopped for speeding again. Different cop this time though, thank goodness. After a 10 minute conversation about child car seat safety, he went back to his vehicle, noticed my 'priors', and came back laughing to the car saying, "So, how many times have you been stopped this week?"
He said I seemed nice so he let me off with a warning...and he said next time I WILL get a ticket.

Fast forward to this afternoon: Was stopped for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. Does anyone really come to a complete stop if there's nothing coming? Honestly...
Anyway, I slowed down and looked left and nothing was coming so I went ahead and drove onward...then I saw him on the right. I knew I was going down, so as soon as I saw him turning around in my rearview I pulled over. He was about my age and very friendly. He told me why he was stopping me and I said, "I know. I totally didn't stop."
He said, "Wow, you're the only one today who admitted to knowingly running a stop sign."
We laughed, he took my info, I waited...wondering what he would think of my 'record'. I reminded God that I could not afford a ticket and apparantly God agreed because he came back and handed me my warning, sending me on my merry way.

I wonder Caden's childhood memories will seem like one big COPS episode?

Super Bowl Sunday

Baby's First Fat Lip

When a little boy leans on his dump truck and the truck pops a wheely, hitting him the mouth...we have a baby's right of passage into boyhood.
Caden' first fat lip.

After a cold cloth and a strawberry popsicle, he's feeling much better.

Crazy Little Man

I woke up yesterday to find my son like this:


Apparantly he had taken off his shirt in the middle of the night. The 'ninja' mask was Dada's idea.

Here are some videos of Caden dancing like a baby fool on his favourite dancing surface: A plastic mickey mouse table cloth. Everytime he feels the urge to groove he says something that sounds like, "Eye Ice?" but it means 'Mickey mouse' and we break out the dance pad for some foot stompin fun.
Enjoy.