Caden's Buddies

Caden is getting a lot more social these days and enjoying all his buddies. Here's a few pictures of some of his friends.

This is Peyton. They loved playing together when she came up for a visit a few weeks ago. She's too cute.

Here's one of his best buds...Phoenix. They love each other. Here's Caden loving a little too much. Poor Phoenix is getting his mouth fish-hooked.

happy Phoenix.

Scary Phoenix. He loves to head bang, so my camera couldn't quite catch him in between movements. I thought this was funny.

This is Veda. We went to her 1st birthday party and it was too cute.

She looks SO much like Caden it's not even funny....especially in this picture in the same highchair that we own.

I think she got sick of the cupcake.

They don't look as much alike in this picture, but there are times they could pass as twins.

We love all of Caden's buddies.

Coffee

Days here are great. Really. Days here are long. Really. Days here are really really long (not boring, just long). I have a new friend these days. Coffee. I like my friend. My friend makes my days not so long. Each morning, I have me a cup of coffee complete with a hazelnut creamer, regular creamer, and a sweetnlow. I can't believe I just typed those words. People always told me I would become a coffee drinker once I had kids. That never happened. I just needed to go through long days of having to listen intently for 6 to 8 hours. Wait a minute. That's what I had to do for 13 years going to school growing up. Yikes. How did I get through? Maybe all schools should offer coffee to children. Kidding. Kidding. 

Seriously, sleepiness is a difficult temptation around here, but I am thankful for venues (i.e.-coffee) to make it not so bad. I think going to bed earlier would probably help too, but that's not what the post is about :o) I've been going strong and listening each day now, but poor picky Britton has a very hard time. The first week we were here, he tried a cup of coffee out of desperation. He couldn't do it. He tried so hard but just couldn't. Yes, we flavored it up for him. He just sticks to his soft drinks. But I was able to snap a quick picture of a once in a lifetime happenstance of him drinking a few sips. Of course, he had to have a handful of skittles to go along with it. The skittles were eaten. The coffee still remains to be drank.

I apologize for such a seemingly pointless post, but this is our lives. We like it :o)

Earthquake

Just to comment....yes, we are all good. It was pretty shaky, but thanks to everyone who were concerned for us. Caden was actually napping and slept right through it. Kid sleeps like his mama :o) Our computer is having problems, but we hope to be back soon!

Gratefulness

I'm actually going to attempt to write a post without a picture. Are you still reading? Today, I've been overwhelmed with gratefulness, not because I'm just a great person, but because I've realized how ungrateful I am. I complain like that's all I can really do. A complaining heart can just set in without you really realizing it. I started giving thanks today in different ways and realized that I generally complain about the things I was giving thanks for.

I usually complain about being too hot or too cold instead of being grateful for the beautiful breeze I felt outside today. I tend to complain about my son's whining instead of being grateful for his constant smile. I complain about the fever and spreading rash on my arm that I have from my immunizations, instead of being grateful for consistently good health and perfectly moving legs. I keep complaining about the food set before me, instead of being grateful that I get to eat anything at all. I complain about sitting all day, instead of being grateful for the opportunity to learn so many precious things. I complain way to much about the ways my husband messes up, instead of being grateful for the servant-leader he is for me and for his persistence in loving me.

I truly believe I could sit here the rest of the night and write out all the things I complain about, but the bottom line is I have an ungrateful heart. The times when things seem mostly wrong are the times when I am most grateful for my Creator. Why? Because those times are when I am totally out of control, so that I can fully depend on Him and realize how in control He is. How grateful I am for a Creator who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love. He loves me and does things, even stretching things, for my good. Britton once challenged me to say something encouraging every time I complain. Maybe now is a good time to start. We all simply need a little more...gratefulness.

2 more teeth

Just before arriving here for training, Caden cut a third tooth. Then a few days later, the fourth came in . It's the 2 top ones. So, he has a grand total of 4 teeth now. He looks so different but still so cute. Here's a few snapshots of when they first came in. They are showing even more now.

cracking through...he wasn't in the mood to show me, so we improvised.

So, this one doesn't show his teeth, but I love his blue eyes and chubby cheeks!

smiling big...such a big face. Just want to kiss all over it.

New Beginnings

Yay! A new blog with its first post! I'm so very excited to start this new blog because there is so much ahead of us. It will be fun in 2 years to see how much we have changed. We only have a few weeks left for some training, then visit family for 2 weeks and head overseas. Our time here has been invaluable so far, and we are incredibly grateful for all we are learning. Caden has changed so much. Yesterday, he turned 10 months! He now has 4 teeth, is pulling up, and has perfected his army crawl. Words just do not describe my love for him. I hope to get some pictures on here soon, but for now, here's a picture of right outside our "home" (for now) that we get to see each day.