With Friends :)

We have come to know the Dudley's, Jacob and Karlene, through our dear friends the Henning's and the Flohr's.  Jacob had been overseas for 9 months, away from his daughter the same age as Caden.  What an incredible sacrifice he makes for our country.  It is amazing to me and we are forever grateful to amazing men and women like him.  He returned about a month ago and they had a Welcome Home Captain Dudley party for him at his parents' amazingly beautiful home.  And, it happened to be a Husker football night, so we all got to watch a game together too :).  Caden had a lot of fun playing with Nora and Gianna, and making new friends.  Thanks for including us Dudley's, we were honored to be a part of the special festivities :).

Nora and Caden watching a movie

Megan, Annie, and I watching the intense game

Caden snuggled in watching a movie with his new

buddy Rowan who was the same age as him

Gianna cuddling with Jared

So cute :).....not sleeping, don't be fooled.....just

looking down at the TV

A Date with T

Caden loves his T.   He hadn't got some time with just his T for a long time.  I started noticing one week that he was calling T on his play phone a lot and talking to her.  Then he started making up stories about stuff he and T did. 

"I ride on a dog and T did too"
"I gonna drive a bus, and T gonna sit in the back, and we gonna drive far."

"Actwawee (actually), Boo gonna go wiff us, and T sit in front with me while I drive the bus.  Or maybe T will sit in the front of the back by Boo, cuz we gonna pick kids up" 

"Me and T went far away over and over and over....."

Haha, this kid was planning.  I mentioned it to my sis and she decided it was time for some one-on-one time with her favorite boy :).  So sweet of her......here's a girl who works her butt of teaching middle schoolers all week and keeping up with her 8 month old, and still took a night of her week to have Caden time.  And it meant the world to Caden.

I told him she was going to take him on a date, and he couldn't wait "to go to a date" with his T.  All day it was all he could do to be patient and wait for that time to come :).  We put on khaki pants and gel in our hair.  Studly, to say the least :).

They went to the park and had a picnic.  T even let him sit on the picnic table to eat.  They played at the park.  Then they went to McD's for icecream.  He was grinning from ear-to-ear the second she came and got him and couldn't quit smiling when he got home.

Thanks for making him feel so special T, he loves you more than you will ever know :).

Cool Weather. Football. Bring it on!!

Caden gets really into football, although I know he doesn't totally grasp it all :).  What I mean, is when Daddy and Boo or Mommy and T are going to a game, he wants to see if he sees them on TV all the time while watching the game.  I always thought that was cute, that he was watching for the crowd I assumed, and then one day I realized that was not the case.  Daddy and Boo were at the game and CW and I were home watching.  "Daddy gonna get that guy and hit him and frow da ball for points, woohoo!!"  Oh boy, he thinks they are actually playing when they go :).  How adorable.  And his cheering the Huskers on?  "Go Big Red Huskers!"  It's pretty cute.  Any football game on TV is Huskers. 

Any football game in general is Huskers, actually.  Caden is always wanting to go with daddy to the games.  Not quite yet, buddy :).  My cousin Zach Heitkamp plays for Syracuse, and we went to one of his games.  All week CW talked about going to the game and watching Huskers play.  I don't think he was fooled once we actually got there, as it looked much different than all the hoopla on TV.  He was pretty quiet for a while and just kept looking around.  Needless to say, whatever football game it was, he realized it was lots of fun :).  We all had a good time.

Just getting to the game.....not interested in taking a pic :)

Iz cheering on the team!

Eating popcorn with Tom & Grandpa

Grandpa and Mini Grandpa 

This kid makes friends everywhere we go

Playing football with Grandpa

Walking on the field after the game.....big stuff :)

A Day of Us

"I want to rock she"

"You hear that?  I peed!"

"Ah, she up!  It's okay Iz!  I here.  Ah, you pretty girl."

Um, I'm up.....

A morning stroll

Story time before nap time. 

Reading Jungle Jive.  A favorite :)

Love each other.

Chilling with the pup

"Oh no, my car's broke.  I'll fix it."  (Put on safety

goggles and hammer it to death.  Hmmm.....)

Sunday Morning with CW

I do nursery committee every-other month at church, so my 'off' months I don't go as early.  So, since September is an 'off' month, Jared goes to do Middle School Sunday School at 9, and we meet up with him for church at 10:30. 

Caden slept in 'til 8:00 today.  Too bad baby girl decided we should be up from 4:00 on.  Oh well, I'm sure she'll come out cute and it'll all be worth it, right :)?  Haha.  Anyhoo, before he came and got me, he ran into the kitchen and found the powdered sugar Donettes that Grammy had let him buy at Walmart.  He came running into my bathroom with them, as happy as can be, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Oh, are you going to have some donuts buddy?"
"Ya, just two or free mom, not awott, I'm going to just save awott."
"You can fill your tummy up honey, those are a special treat!"
"Oh, cool, okay mom, I'll fill my tummy, fanks!!!" (thanks)

A little while later he had some change that Grammy had also given him (and he'd kept in the jack-o-lantern carrier Grammy got him.......oh, Grammy :)).

"Caden, we should bring that change to church this morning.  That could be your offering at Sunday school."
"Huh?"
"Your offering, money for Jesus that you could give."
"Um, no fanks mom.  I just want to give this money to my piggy not to Jesus." (piggy bank).

Guess we have some work to do on the lesson of tithing :).  We have some time I guess.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Caden the Nature Center Guide

Caden went to Grandma and Grandad's the other night while we went to dinner for a friend's Birthday.  He of course had tons of fun as always.  They make their time with him ALL about Caden, and love him to pieces.  He always loves going over there and has big plans for them, haha.

We picked him up, and he of course didn't want to leave.  After we finally got him out the door, Grandad showed him a big spider web out front.  Then another.  Then Caden spotted the spider in each.  Then he spotted a little frog on the driveway. 
Pretty soon it became Jack Hanna, er, Caden Meyer's Nature hour.  He said he needed a flashlight so Grandad of course was sweet and got him one. 

"Okay guys, everybody come with me.  Here's a spider and web.  You see it?  You like it Grandma?
Here's another one.  Okay, follow me to the froggy.  Girls, everybody come."

So we all play along and all four follow him.  He shows the frog.  His webbed feet and how he hops.

"Okay guys, you stay here.  I'm going back to the spider (pronounces it cider) web".  After getting to the spider web, his plans changed.

"Okay, everybody, woo-hoo (clapping) come here right now please."

So, we went back to the spider web.  Soon it was time to crush him dreams and call it an evening.  He was of course crushed for life.  Or 2 minutes until he started to fall asleep in the van, haha.

So thankful for all of his grandparents living so close and always being so good to him.  He loves them all so. 

While Mom's away.....

 I went to KC last weekend with my mom, sis, and Iz.  We had a blast shopping at Legends, eating, and hanging in the hotel. 

While I was gone, Jared went above and beyond to make sure and CW had fun, and it was plain adorable :).  He moved the TV out to the patio on Saturday so he and Caden could be outside and watch the football game.  Mind you our TV is mounted to the wall, so it wasn't a quick task by any means.  Then, he made a little fire pit and built a fire for he and Caden.  How cute is that?!?!

Saturday morning while Jared worked Caden hung with Grandma and Grandad.  They are SUCH wonderful grandparents to him.  They took him to breakfast, to see Great-Grandma James, and to Pioneers park.  Here's his recap:

Caden, did you have fun with Grandma and Grandad?

"Ya, I did.  We went to McDonalds and got bacon.  Grandad didn't let me have eggs.  We went to Great-Grandma's at she house.  We went to park where daddy ran.  Me and Grandma ran.  I beat she."

I got clarification from Sherry a bit :).  They didn't go to McD's for breakfast, but he did have bacon.  And the meal he ordered didn't have eggs, but grandma and grandad's did.  And, they went to Pioneers park and Sherry told him that his Daddy used to run cross-country there.  He doesn't forget anything. 

Sunday morning they were up early, Jared said they actually could have went to first service at 9:00.  But time got away from them I guess and suddenly it was 10:40 and they were just leaving for 10:30 service :).  So, they went and got donuts and played at the park instead.  Caden's recap??

(As he is on the letter 2 steps below Jared while Jared paints the house.....told you he was patient :)).....

"Ya, we not go to church today cuz daddy messed up." (Haha, Jared told him he'd messed up on time so they wouldn't make it.)

"We just got donguts (donuts).  It's okay.  We can go to church another day, because it's God."  I'm sure Jared talked to him about it being okay missing, but of course his interpretation is cuter :).  Love it.

Did you watch the football game? 
"Ya, we did.  I like games.  Go Big Red Huskers.  And we build a big fir-er.  I love fir-ers.  Do you wike fir-ers mom?"

That night he and I went and got s'mores stuff so he and daddy could show me their fire and make s'mores together.  He insisted we buy "marsh-a-woa's".  He's so delicous :).  So that night we had a family campfire.

Boring mommy made him put bug spray on.

"I coze me eyes, mom!  Can I open 'dem??"

How he eats a s'more......lot's of marshmallows

And a giant graham cracker, please

Cuddling with daddy watching new Lorax movie

on patio.  Yes, Jared brought the TV out for him again :)