Done With Trimester One!

As of today, we are officially done with trimester one! Now we can breathe a sigh of relief. Those 1st 3 months make me so nervous. Looks like Baby JJ is baking up right on schedule... :)On a different note - this is what Mimi looked like when I dropped Cade off the other day. LOVE the shirt!

Sorry for the boob shot, Mim... but at least we can see what it says a little easier:)

Changing the subject one more time... we got a glimpse of summer these past 2 days. It was ridiculously HOT outside! (A little too hot, if you ask me!) This means it is almost unbearable in the house without air. The thermometer said it was 85 degrees inside. Therefore, the Cade Man looks like this indoors... such a stud showing off his abs, huh?

Enjoy the intro to summer while it lasts... it is supposed to cool down by Sunday.

The Family That Wears Hats Together, Stays Together:)

Love my fedora! It is super cute for non-hair days. You know - those days when you don't want to do your hair, but you still want to look somewhat put together? This was my weekend staple this weekend.

While out shopping today, I just HAD TO HAVE ONE for my little Love Munchkin. Doesn't he look like such a little heartbreaker? hunk? stud muffin?

I LOOOOVE my little twin:)

I tell ya.... this kid has more hats than I have shoes! And why not? He wears them so well:)

Church on a Screen

This is how we attend church these days....

We start out in the main auditorium for the worship part. Cade loves the music and when I bounce him on my hip to the beat. But once the music stops, we head downstairs to the baby room. They have a TV for the Mommies & Daddies to watch the message and plenty of toys for the kiddos. This way Cade can 'talk' and have fun and we aren't disrupting anyone. Here you can see the TV... and Brad's head in the lower right corner:)

We usually see the same families in there so that is nice to see familiar faces. I made friends with one girl today. She has the cutest little girl. Here is Cade and Stella playing at the activity table:)Cade wanted to play hide and seek! I found him under the table:) Nice job buddy! Great hiding spot!

Old Man Sweaters & Belly Pics

Cade wanted to show off his old man sweater before church this morning.... even though you can't see it very well:) He insisted we take his picture before we left!I tried to get a better shot of the sweater, but he was too interested in my bracelet than to give me a smile (or to look my way at all for that matter!) In fact, now that I think about it - he does not like the camera at all anymore. Once he sees that thing, he busies himself with anything to keep me from getting a cute pic. Darn!

Here are a few belly shots.... we are 11 weeks in at this point. Funny how women show so much quicker the 2nd time around.

Judging from the 'belly'.... what do you think I am cooking up? A lil' boy or girl? I want BOTH!! I want a little brother for the Cade Man, but I also want a little girl. My guess??..... you wanna know what I think??..... I am putting my money on a brother. We will see! xoxo

Great Invention.... Welcome To Fruit!

I couldn't make my mind up about this gadget. After eyeing it at the store numerous times, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a whirl. You put fruit in it, and Cade can suck the juices out without choking on the big chunks of fruit. Here is the gizmo in it's case.... Now uncased (is that a word??).... with a mandarin orange inside....

What do you think? Does my little taste tester like it? Even though his face looks otherwise, he actually did really like it. This picture was his initial reaction. It was very new so he wasn't sure about this new taste.

He even held it himself:) I am petrified about the Mister Man choking, so I have not given him many finger foods. This is at least a step in the right direction. I wonder how he will like the apples, strawberries, mango, etc!?

Cravings....

When I was preggo with Cade I craved breakfast. This was odd since I never usually want breakfast. I was all about the chicken fried steak and belgium waffles. I would order both - yep, BOTH meals at a restaurant! I also wanted Costco hot dogs, donuts and Mc Donalds chicken nuggets. The funny thing is that I won't even go near those chicken nuggets when not pregnant.... but for some reason, when I have a bun in the oven, my 'buns' seem to urge me to eat nuggets.

This time around, with Baby JJ, I pretty much want the same things - with the exception of the hot dogs:) Here is my breakfast craving/staple every morning..... (and yes, I DO buy the family pack even though I am the only one who eats these:) I go through them quick, what can I say?? And no, I won't tell you how many Baby JJ & I eat every morning....:)Last pregnancy, I got lectures about eating healthy, blah blah blah.... but I couldn't help it. While I am a healthy eater when not preggo, for some reason when I have a bambino in my tummy, I want the junk. Admist the nay-sayers, I wasn't too worried..... and look! Look how adorable my little sidekick turned out.... :) Not bad, eh?

Ok, gotta run now.... my waffles are ready. Seriously... they were in the toaster as I wrote this:) Told ya, I love my Eggos;)

Our Weekend (& Some Firsts!)

We went to church this morning even though it was freezing and raining on and off. Cade looked like such a little man in his khakis and button down, pin-striped shirt:) Check out his 2 teeth. I think he was trying to show them off in this picture :) The boys posing for a quick pic before heading out the door...

For dinner I made some mashed potatoes for Cade to try. (No, not homemade! C'mon, you know I don't cook! They were the boxed mashed taters:) Just like his daddy, Cade turned his nose up at them. I guess I am outnumbered in this house and the only one who likes potatoes.

This is one of my favorite pictures! This was actually taken last weekend when I was in Oregon visiting Katie. Brad took Cade down to the pier to watch the Newport Beach Lifeguard Try-Outs on Saturday. Brad used to be a NB Lifeguard and his best friends (and brother) are all lifeguards. Here is Cade 'driving' the lifeguard truck with Brad's buddy, Mike. Soon enough, Cade will really be driving the truck!

Who is this big boy riding in the cart, and where is my baby!? While running errands on Saturday we decided to try Cade in the cart. I was nervous that he would wiggle and try to get out, but he did great! Geez, he is growing up way too fast right before my eyes:(

Well, it's Sunday night.... where did the weekend go? Why can't the work week fly by this fast? Here's to a quick week so I can be home with my baby again all weekend! I hope everyone stays dry!

Future Geek Squad Member

Why is it that kiddos don't want to play with their toys that we spent a pretty penny on? Instead, they would rather play with Mommy & Daddy's toys.. ie. laptop, remote control & cell phone. It is as if they are magnetically attracted to these "off limit toys".

Cade took this even one step further... my mom got a new cell phone so she kept her old one for Cade. I thought this was brilliant! Now when I was on my phone, I wouldn't have tiny fingers trying to grab it from my ear, because he would have his own phone. But nope! Our little man knows that Mimi's old phone is not the fun, real phone. Crazy! How do they know these things?? We even still charged her phone so it would light up for him... but still no cigar. What can I say? I have a very advanced baby... ha! (Before you roll your eyes, I am only joking you guys... although he is a smart cookie... ha... ok, I''ll stop now.)

Here is our Techno Nerd in action. :) I had to laugh tonight... he was playing on the laptop and pushing buttons. All of a sudden, I hear Dr. Laura's voice! A few months ago, I downloaded her podcasts (to put on my ipod) for my last marathon.... I have no idea what he pushed to get there but all of a sudden, there she is speaking about how some woman messed up once again. She is pro-male all the time! I don't get it.....but that is another post for another day.

So....without further adieu... back to my pocket-protector-loving angel.....
What do you think?? Does Cade have a future as an IT guy?

The Kids...

We have a new picture of Baby JJ. If you look at the bottom of the picture, you can see where the Doc typed in "Baby JJ". Here he/she is at 9.5 weeks. Crazy how you can already see the arms, legs, and umbilical cord! Meanwhile... here is The Cade Man playing with his new toy Mommy bought him. He loves his little music table. Oh... and by the way... how do you like our "monkey cage"? Now that Cade is crawling at the speed of light, Brad put this baby gate up. This now keeps him contained in one play area and keeps him safe from dangerous zones. It was such a great idea. Can't you see why I love my hubs so much!? He is a genius:)

Girls Weekend!

This past weekend, I packed my bags, kissed my boys goodbye, jumped on a plane, and headed up to Oregon to visit my bestest - Katie. I teetered back and forth about whether to bring Cade or not. Ultimately, I listened to everyone's advice (mom, aunt, grandma, ect) and decided to travel solo and use the trip as a girl's weekend and one where I could rest and recharge my batteries. Boy, was I glad I listened! I missed my boys like crazy, but Katie and I had the best time. Being that I am preggers and soooo exhausted all the time, this was the perfect weekend getaway.

On Saturday, we left Kate's boys with their dad and we headed to the mall for some shopping and some much needed manis/pedis. I had not had one since before Cade was born. I almost fell asleep in the chair! As you can tell from our attire, it was freezing and raining. It was great! We were able to get away with being in comfy sweats all weekend:)

You like my toes? Just thinking about the pampering brings a smile to my face
Next on the agenda? Lunch at Cheesecake Factory where we sat and chatted for hours! This is what I call good quality girl time.

After the mall, we rented movies and headed home to get comfy and kick our feet up...

I got to sleep in as late as I wanted (and without waking up numerous times in the night) for 2 nights in a row. I forgot what it felt like to get a full night's rest. I felt so rested. But my Sunday, I missed my monkey so much and I was ready to come home and wake up all night long:) Walking through the door and seeing my Love Bug was the BEST EVER!

We were able to hang out for a few hours before bed time. When it was time for bed, Cade did not want to be rocked for some reason.... he only wanted me to hold him (loved that!). This is how I got him to sleep...

Thanks for such a great weekend, Katie! It was such a perfect getaway. I needed the R & R so much. I love that we can hang out in our sweats, laugh at absolutely nothing, and feel as though no time has passed since the last time we saw eachother. I love you, my bestest:)

Gifts From 1st Period

Brad & I decided to let the students figure out our "secret" on their own. We thought it would take a while, however, because of my growing bump, our secret was hard to conceal. At 9 weeks exactly, they guessed it. They were all so excited and word spread quickly... who knew junior highers couldn't keep a secret!? :)

The following morning in 1st period I was greeted with this... aren't these girls adorable?
A banner, cards, a gift (2 pairs of jammies - one girl, one boy), and a giant cupcake (now it makes sense why they were asking about my favorite kind of cake:)

Here is the banner...

One of the cards...

Another card....
The artwork on the envelope:)

The red velvet cupcake:)

These girls are so sweet. Needless to say, I felt so loved. There are times I ask myself why I teach middle school.... and then there are times like this when I think, "how could I teach anything other than middle school?" Beneath the drama, hormones, etc, these are some very thoughtful kiddos:)

Happy 8 Month Birthday Love Bug!

8 Month Stats:

Weight: 18 lbs (17th percentile)

Length: 27.5 in (34th percentile)

We did not have a Doc appt this month, so I took the stats myself. This might explain why Cade "shrunk" in length this month. He was 28 inches last month (I took those stats as well:) and only 27.5 this month. I will be curious to see what the Doc says next month at his 9 month appt. Length is so difficult to measure - I should just leave it to the professionals...

Here is the birthday boy....

And his 8 month sweet treats....

Cade, Happy 2/3-Year Birthday my little boy. You are the best big, little man in the world. Mommy and I are so proud to be your parents. You have added a new dimension of joy to our lives that we never could have imagined before we finally met you. It is hard to not brag about you to everyone I talk to (just ask Mommy because she is always telling me to let other people speak). Eight months is not a real long time. You will find that out soon enough. But it seems like forever, because I can not remember life before our family came together last July. BTW, I am not supposed to mention it, but Mommy has a surprise party for your 1st Birthday. It will be at the beach and all of your friends and family will be there to help celebrate our little boy's big day. We love you so much, son. I love you my big-little boy- Dad

And.... He's Off!

Cade has been crawling for a few weeks now. I finally remembered to catch it on tape:) Here you can see our Little Monkey in action. While it is the cutest thing to see, it sure makes things A LOT more difficult now. He crawls so fast and within a matter of seconds he will crawl across the room and pull himself up to the standing position. His balance is not perfect yet, so he sometimes falls down when in the standing position. This is why we cannot leave his side - or at least try not to. I find myself chasing him around the house while trying to brush my teeth, make a bottle, etc.

I know, I know.... "they are strong and can 'handle a tumble or two'..." regardless, I cannot sit back and let my precious angel hit his sweet head. Maybe I will be a bit more relaxed when Baby JJ hits this milestone...?? Until then... I will stop one step shy of getting Cade a helmet:)

Whoops... We Did It Again!

Cade has something to tell you... Did you get it?? If not, maybe this next picture will give you a clue....

Here is Baby JJ in my belly at 6 weeks. We called Cade "Baby J" before we knew he was Cade. So we thought it only appropriate to call this baby "Baby JJ".

If you scroll down and see the belly pictures (on the right column) from Cade's pregnancy, it is quite ironic. I have on the same exact pants and am holding my sweatshirt the same way. My belly even looks identical.

We got to see Baby JJ for the 1st time a few days ago. I wasn't sure if it would lose some "magic" since this was our 2nd time going through it. Turns out - it was almost the opposite. This time around it seems more miraculous.... now that I can see how far Cade has come, it makes this step so neat to witness. I am trying to memorize every step of the way since this may be our last time experiencing pregnancy. Baby JJ seemed so much bigger than when we first saw Cade. This is because Cade was only 6 weeks and this time around Baby JJ was 8 weeks.
Here I am waiting for the Doc to come in. I was very nervous.... Brad & I (and probably most parents) get so nervous before finding the heartbeat. I was praying about it constantly!

Cade now has a new sign on his room:)

We cannot wait to meet Little JJ this October. And I know what you are thinking.... let me save you from doing the math. Our little bambinos will be 15 months apart!

Oh yeah... and to answer your next question..... yes, it was "planned" :)

Music To My Ears.... The Sweetest Giggle

Every Tuesday Cade gets to spend the day with Mimso while Mommy & Daddy are hard at work. And every Tuesday when I arrive to pick up my bundle of love, this is what I see. Never fails... Cade is ALWAYS asleep on Mimso in this very chair. It is the sweetest sight.

Yesterday, Mimso was very excited to show me something she discovered - the cutest sight ever! Take a look and see. Cade thinks Mimso is sooooo funny.

I will cherish his little chuckle forever. Good thing I can save this video and replay it as often as I'd like. Seriously.... how can this not put a smile on your face?