It's Here, It's Here, It's Finally Here!

After a very long school year, we finally made it to that light at the end of the tunnel that teachers and kids dream about for months.  It's SUMMER!  We started summer off right with a road trip to VA to see GJ and Pop.  Cade had a great time exploring GJ's house and wanted to be outside the whole time.  He loved having a yard to run around in!  We went on an animal safari while we were there and it was unlike anything I've ever done.  We rode in the back of a truck through a 3 mile path where all kinds of interesting animals came right up to the truck to eat from our food buckets.  We had very up close visits with emus, zebras, moose, deer, ostriches, camels and all kinds of other animals.  We even got to feed giraffes!  It was definitely an experience to remember!  Wouldn't you know it...our camera battery was dead on arrival so we didn't get any pictures.  GJ is sending us hers so we'll share those when we get them.  We also got to visit with Uncle Chris, his new fiance Monica and her son Zack as well as my dad and his wife Candi.  We had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back!

Since then we've been keeping busy with trips to the park, Catch Air, friends' houses, and lunch dates. We reenrolled Cade at Gymboree this week for the summer.  He had a BLAST at our first class yesterday!  He wasn't shy at all and had so much fun climbing, dancing, popping bubbles and his absolute favorite...parachute time!  I love, love, love having the off-time to spend with our sweet baby over the summer!  It is a true blessing indeed. 



Visiting with the Clinkscales



Lunch date with Mommy

I fell at Bruster's and got my first skinned knee :(

Uncle Chris

Cleaning up after a hot day!

18 Months Old

Sweet Cade,

You are 18 months old!  Officially a big boy...says the doctor's office this morning.  :)  I feel like I could copy and paste this from every other stats post, but you are at such a fun stage right now!  In a book I've been reading it describes an 18 month old as the bull in a china shop stage...and that pretty much sums you up.  You are FULL of energy - you are into everything and exploring your world like never before...climbing, throwing, opening, slamming, banging, turning on faucets, flushing toilets, pulling, pushing, rolling...repeat.  It's exhausing to say the least, but oh so worth the work out!  You are the true light of our lives and we love you more than we can find words to explain.  Here's a little more about you at 18 months:

• You weigh 24lbs (23%tile), you are 33.5 inches tall (81%tile), and your head circumference is 19.5 (90%tile).  You've stopped all the throwing up you used to do.  Maybe that helped you jump a few percentile points in weight! 
• You eat three meals and have one official snack a day...though you snack throughout the day if you're at home with us.  You visit the pantry numerous times a day and say "nack".  You are hard to say no to!  You eat so well that we usually give you a "nack" when you ask for one.  Like I said, you eat very well...a true blessing!  Your favorites include:  chicken, cheese, pasta, mandarin oranges, peaches, and black beans.  You tolerate most other foods, but certainly don't love the veggies. 
• You are a champion sleeper...another true blessing!  You go to bed around 7:45 - 8.  You wake up around 6:30 when we have to work and around 7:30 - 8:00 when we don't.  You nap from 1 - 3.  You will even sometimes tell us when you're ready for a nap.  You'll say, "nap, nap" and fake yawn.  You never fuss when we put you in the bed and usually sleep through the night without much more than a couple whines (KNOCK ON WOOD).
• You are still a happy baby.  You smile and laugh when things are funny..and sometimes even when they're not!  You also love to make us laugh.  You say hi to strangers in public.  I see stranger danger lessons in our future!
• You love books and recently you've started pretending you're reading.  You flip the pages and speak in your secret Cade language as if you're reading the words on the pages.  I LOVE it!
• You say around 60-70 words or so I think.  I stopped keeping track around 50.  Your only two word phrase so far is "all done".  Your receptive language is incredible!  You understand everything we say and follow directions very well...for the most part.  ;) 
• You love, love, love to help out around the house.  Your favorite thing is to "kean" (clean).  You love to wipe things down with baby wipes.  You like to pull out the broom and dustpan and sweep the kitchen.  You also pick things up off the floor and throw them in the "thash" (trash) and to help mommy cook. 
• Although you are very well behaved most of the time, you definitely have your share of tantrums!  You will melt down if you want something and we won't give it to you - screaming, crying, stiffening...we've even seen a few lay on the floor and kick your legs episodes!
• You like to be outside.  You go to the door in the mornings, try to open the door and say, "outshi" (outside). 
• You are smart, handsome, funny, and overwhelmingly adorable.  We are so proud to be your parents!

Pasta Monster

Cade's favorite meal these days is by far...PASTA!  In fact, just a couple of weeks ago I was asking him what he wanted for dinner as I often do, not really expecting him to answer, and he said PASTA (or something like that).  It wasn't on the menu that night, but of course we made him some!  Until then the only food he ever requested by name was "koo-kee" (cookie).  He's become a little pickier over the last few weeks, but he never turns down a plate of pasta!

It's been cold and rainy this weekend so we didn't do much.  We went to dinner at Whole Foods on Friday and to church this morning.  Last weekend was a little more eventful with an outing to Family Day at the Hudgens Arts Center and then out to a yummy lunch with Ali, Austin, and Olivia and then Todd's cousin and his family were here on Saturday for a short visit.  Only 15 days of school left and then we'll be all set for a summer full of fun!

Spring Break Staycation

Last week I was on spring break and Cade and I made the most of it!  On Monday we visited the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center.  It's kind of like a museum targeted at kids a little older than Cade, but we were just about the only people there so Cade got to run around and get into everything which he loved.  On Tuesday we met Ali, Kristin, Olivia, Chase, and Cooper at the park for playtime and then we had a picnic at Town Center.  Cade got into a sand box for the first time.  He was a little hesitant at first, but ended up sitting and playing for quite a while (which almost NEVER happens; he's usually GO, GO, GO).  On Wednesday we went to Catch Air and then out for lunch and frozen yogurt.  Catch Air was by far his favorite outing!  On Thursday we met Ali and Olivia at the Yellow River Game Ranch.  C and O had a great time feeding the animals and hanging out together!  Todd took the day off on Friday to hang out with us and paint our bedroom (he did a GREAT job). We had a great week and this little taste of summer was just what we needed. 

Bird Watcher

Lately Cade has been really into birds.  Anytime he hears one tweeting (either a real one or one on TV or from a toy) he stops and says, "BIRD, BIRD!".  He also likes to look for them out of the living room window or when we're playing outside.  Sometimes he even points to the sky and claims he sees a bird when there isn't one in sight!  We've got a little birdwatcher on our hands! 

Mr. Chatterbox

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who speaks a different language?  They know a few words in English and you know a few words in their language so you can communicate minimally, but it definitely takes some work!  That's kind of how I'm feeling about communicating with Cade right now.  His vocabulary is growing very quickly - it seems he learns a new word every day and he can say around 35-40 words and he understands most of what I'm saying (at least it seems so anyway), but I often find myself telling him, "I'm not sure what you're saying."...but he sure knows and can be very adamant about what he wants at times.  My favorite words to hear him say are cheese, shoes, boo-boo, and of course, mama!  He still leaves the ending sound off of most of his words, but his pronunciation is getting better and better.  Pretty soon he'll be talking our ears off! 

 

Easter 2013

Last weekend we went to Kentucky to spend Easter with Todd's family.  Cade was great in the car - both there and back.  I was a little worried about that!  He loved spending time with Grandma Vicki, Grandaddy, Taylor, and Betty Jane.  He was spoiled with Easter goodies from Grandma Vicki and GJ and found a few eggs at his first egg hunt!  It was nice to spend another holiday with family around!