*and then he was 6*

Six years ago, at this exact time, I was in a delivery room pushing with everything that I had! My nine pound baby was proving to be a challenge to deliver. For the record, he's never been the norm. After a 20 hour labor and 8 hours of pushing, he was delivered. A standout, no doubt. Twice the size of most babies in the NICU. Instant love. My doodle bug is paving his own path in this world.

I often think that people don't really know the real Caden. He's like an onion with many layers. The outer layers are a tough exterior. He's wild, rough....all boy. He appears to be so tough and unaffected by the world. As you peel away some of those unpolished levels, you uncover a caring, loving, smart...smart boy. A child that thinks way beyond his years. A boy that at night finally slows down enough to process it all. Our best conversations are right before bed. It is these times that I catch the most true glimpse of the type of man that he will be one day. It is a sensitive and loving side that reminds me so much of his father. Monday afternoon I was cooking dinner and as usual, Caden was helping me in the kitchen. I grabbed the top of the can off of my can opener and it sliced open my middle finger and thumb. In the time that it took me to turn around my hand was covered in blood. My doodle caught a glimpse of this and sprang into action. Calmly he directed me to walk to the sink, he ran the water and placed my hand under the water while he went and got a towel. All the while he was comforting me in the sweetest calm voice.

Beyond that level is the core of his soul. It is the sweet and truly good person. It is the concern for others that keeps him up at night...the little boy he heard got hit by a car on the news or praying for a sick friend. It is the notes his teacher sends me. The notes that praises me and declares me the best mom in the world. The true appreciation for me that he incorporates into his assignments.

At six you are so many things, Cade.
- You have never met a stranger. You talk to everyone and know everyone. It takes 30 minutes for us to leave a school function because you can't leave until you have worked the room and hugged every 5th grade girl.
- You are intelligent. You have excelled every expectation in school. You scored in the 99% of the 5 IQ tests you took for the Gifted and Talented Program. You have even impressed your GT teacher and of course won her over with your charm as well.
- You are talented! From earning the solo in the Spring Performance to being the most outstanding baseball player on the field, your talents never cease to amaze us.
- You are confident. So much so that I worry about you balancing that out but that is my mama's heart worrying for down the road.
- You have your daddy's wild hair, you are skinny as a rail and your little knobby knees bring a smile to my face. Your head is big for your body and you still have not lost a tooth. You are just perfect!
- You are into reading "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books and doing really great with chapter books.
- Math is your favorite and you are starting to learn multiplication.
- You want to be a rich...you think you are rich. You want to own a store that sells TVs and houses so you can make lots of money.
- I don't think you have ever spent a penny of your own money. You have it all locked away. Even when I give you money for the ice cream truck, somehow you talk Emma's mom into buying your ice cream!
- At least once a week we have a deep talk about what you want to be when you grow up. Right now you are waffling between a Coast Guard or Secret Agent. You just gave up on being a Ghostbuster because you have concluded that there are ghosts only in New York City!
- Your hands are always dirty, rocks fall out of your shoes every time you take them off and my dryer is always full of strange things courtesy of your pockets.
- You would rather be outside than any where else. When I call you in, your head is usually soaked with sweat, your cheeks are red as a beet and you are out of breath. You know how to play your heart out and you do it every day.
-You have made our house the "go to" house in the neighborhood. I am "Caden's mom" that fetches water, snacks and retrieves the ball from the street.
-I am most proud of you for the big brother that you have become. Never a shred of jealousy or discontent for baby sister. My favorite moments are when I am playing with sister and making her laugh and you too have the biggest smile on your face watching her be so happy.

My dear doodle bug,

As you turn six today my heart is bittersweet. As much as I love to watch you grow, my heart pangs at the idea of you being another year older. Gone is the baby chub and cute little toes. You are a full-fledged little boy. You are my son, my first born and I hope to always hold our special bond. As I stayed awake into the late hours last night, preparing your birthday muffin, decorating your birthday table and blowing up balloons to cover your bed I realized just how much I love to do all the little things because you appreciate them so much. You are the pleasure of my life. We butt heads at times but at the end of the day I feel confident in knowing how much we mean to each other.

So son, go get on that scooter and "tear it up!" Run as fast as you can! Jump on your bed until the springs bust. Play so hard that your little legs tire out. Climb that tree! Play hide-n-seek until dark. Try out for the talent show if you want to. Roll on the floor with sissy belle. Play baseball with daddy in the front yard until there are no balls left to hit. Live it up! Your spark for life is what best defines you. Happy 6th birthday to my favorite boy!

My love for you is boundless,
mama

Caden 6th Birthday Bowl-A-Rama

Six is a big-time age. At 6, mom no longer gets to choose the party theme or the invite list. Nope at 6, the birthday boy runs the show. Just as it should be.
He knew from the start that he wanted a bowling party. It was the first party that was more about his friends, than ours if I am honest with myself. And it was his "most favorite party ever!"

The invites were bowling pins announcing "Caden's 6th Birthday Bowl-A-Rama" 20 kiddos, 5 lanes, extreme bowling (glow-in-the dark, complete with a disco ball and music. My mom made super cute logo t-shirts for all the kids (that glowed perfectly under the black lights!) We had trophies for the top scores and medals for all bowlers. The bowling alley took care of the food and we brought in a cake complete with a sparkler star on it. This was the easiest but probably most successful party I have thrown. Instead of running around like a crazy host, I actually got to enjoy the party with all the kiddos. The kiddos were mostly children from his class and his tee-ball team. I spend more time with all these parents than anyone else these days so it ended up being a gathering of us adults too. Despite not winning a trophey, Caden had a wonderful time with his closest friends.

I must admit, it was super sweet to walk into a clean house after a party! My house is usually wrecked after one of his parties. Suffice to say, we have both outgrown the bounce house in the backyard!

His actual birthday is Thursday so more b-day posts to come. His choice of place to celebrate his birthday dinner. Melting Pot or Godai Sushi....really son? FYI you are 6.

She is 6 months old....

Six months ago we were in an operating room.

A little cry filled the room.

With tears in his eyes he said, "your little shopping partner is here!"

She has proven to be that and so much more!

She loves everyone but I think she loves me the most.

She shares smiles with everyone and kicks her little arms and legs

when she recognizes someone.

She has the sweetest laugh one has ever heard. She belly laughs.

No matter how tired she might be she always gives love.

She is learning to anticipate a kiss and opens her mouth wide open!

She has the most delicious legs and arms.

She is a big baby who is already wearing 12 month clothing in most brands.

She loves to dress pretty. This child has been gifted with the most beautiful clothes.

We dress her up every single day. When I put an outfit on her, she runs her little

hand over the fabric and gives an approving little smile.

When we shop, she watches my every move and gives me approving smiles and sweet sounds.

She is serious about dinner time and loves, loves her fruits and veggies.

She rolls front to back and back to front.

She scoots all over the place and starting to pull up on to her knees.

She loves her crib and the only fuss you ever hear is when she is

ready to be laid in her crib at night.

At 4am, she wakes, like clockwork. She would

be fine if I left her in her room. I choose not to.

I love to go get her. I pick her up and she lays her sweet little head on my shoulder as

we head back to my bed. Daddy has already positioned the pillow for the little one.

I lay her down and we snuggle.

She has absolutely stolen our hearts with her amazing personality and

adoring smiles. She has an electrical spark that mesmerizes. This one

is going to do great things! Brother has developed a very protective bond for baby sister.

Daddy is so smitten that I think at times it overwhelms him how much this little

girl means and the powerful protective nature he feels for her.

Six months ago, in that operating room, I had no idea how much this

little one was going to change my life. The sky is bluer, the sounds are sweeter.

This child makes motherhood seem like a piece of cake.

From her little spiky hair to her grasping little fingers, every inch of this child

is a gift from above.

So, here is my issue....I have 1.5 million things I want to blog about on any given day. I want to capture my thoughts during this beautiful time of my life. I want to have these records to go back and read when I am 95 years old. But, posting without a picture is gut-wrenching for me. I'm all about the visual. Seldom do I have the time to post pictures and write at the same time. So, my new thing will be to write when I have the time and put pictures when I have the time. Better to have some of the "story" than nothing at all, right? So note to 95 year old future self: You did the best you could at this point in your life of capturing it all and by the way at 95..... you look marvelous, darling!

Yesterday was exciting well at least from 2:00 on. My morning was sllllloooooowwww. I am not a desk sitter but my schedule was pretty light yesterday morning so I found myself sitting. For some odd reason I have two, bigger than Dallas, canker sores in my throat and they HURT!!! So, a slow morning just meant I had time to sit and think about my poor, unfortunate situation of canker sores. Well, truly my canker sore issue has nothing to do with my story so let me get on with it.

My assistant came in to announce my 2:00 appointment had arrived. She looked at me funny and said, but she is not a student. Odd for an "appointment" not to be a student but ok, fine...send her in. It was a text book rep if you work in higher ed you know what that means (ummm...under my breath...salesman!) How wrong can I be in this situation! I am almost afraid to write this out because I do not want to get ahead of myself or jinx the situation but I have also read "The Secret", so universe....I am putting it out there! The publishing company that this rep works for is interested in talking to me further about writing a textbook for them!!!!! The truth is that I have no absolute idea how to write a textbook and in my attempt to hide my excitement and remain professional I respond with, "I am very interested and I am a hard worker." A hard worker? Really? That is the best that I could respond with in that situation? Give me a D...D, Give me a O...O...R...K! So, they sent out their fishing expedition, I bit, so now I am waiting on a call from the Editor to disucss things further. Remember how I just wrote about being lazy for four months...maybe not after all. It may not at all pan out but just to be thought of is pretty exciting. I was just thinking about having my name on a textbook...it was not until my accountant-of-a-husband asked about royalties that I even thought about this also being a profitable gain too! So all of that was really cool and exciting but doodle was about to steal the show!

I was a bundle of nerves (thank you Type A personality and first-born syndrome)he was calm, cook and collected. I followed suite. He was decked out in (insert fancy name for an authentic Mexican shirt that I scoured dt SA to find) and khaki pants. We arrived at the school 30 minutes early, I am always early (again insert Type A& first-born)I thought that was plenty early. Apparently not, the seating was already full and there was standing room only. Two little girls run up to him, "there is our solo singer!" One of the moms that I know had subbed the day before so she got to see him sing for the school tells me, "get ready mom this is so precious you are going to die." Still, he is as calm as a cucumber. Daddy arrives and takes sissy belle as I had some camera action needing to be done. I maneuver my way semi-front but way off to the side. The kinder students enter and take the stage. Doodle immediately scans the audience. He spots daddy and sissy. Concern on his face, where's mama? Daddy points, he finds me all is good in his world, his people are there. The solo is the last on the program. His teacher finds me and moves me directly to the front as she announces, "you have got to get this on film!" First 4 songs are precious as pie, now for the big solo. He leaves the other kinder students and steps up to the mini stage upfront and takes the microphone. I am 5 foot in front of him and we exchange a glance just as the music beings to play. He did perfect! He even did a little jig that got a great response from the audience. He got all his lines right, pronounced his Spanish perfectly and sang his little heart out! We were so very proud of him! We went out for Mexican food to celebrate and topped off the night with some sopapillas!

Life, as it goes....

I often feel like I am in a time machine that is moving at light speed. So much is on my plate and I constantly find myself begging for a little more time in each day. Don't get me wrong, everything is fabulously wonderful just in an extraordinarily busy kind of way. I absolutely cannot believe that in 23 days I will have a 6 year old! I have been busy with getting things set for his party. A few more details need to be reserved/made and then we will be ready.

Tee-ball season is in full swing. With MSW being the manager and me helping out the team mom, game days are hectic. Doodle is playing so well and is having so much fun so it makes it all worth it! This week I need to secure $$ from all the parents and think of a theme for our team basket for the silent auction. Next I will move on to planning the details for our team table at the Gala that will happen at the end of the month.

Next week I will be hosting doodle's class party, themed Fiesta! We are doing booths like NIOSA and tons of decorations. While it is so much fun planning and making decorations it is time consuming and since I am lacking time these days.....Tonight is his big performance. He did a run for the entire school yesterday and said he did well, so I hope all goes well for him tonight. We have been practicing his lines, and he knows them so he should be fine! Then why am I so nervous for him today???

We had a great Easter! I am sure there are some really cute pics on my camera that I might get around to downloading sometime this week. Sissy belle wore an Easter bonnet so I know there will be cute pics of her! We went to church and then came home to find that the Easter bunny had left eggs and Easter baskets in our backyard! Doodle had the most fun finding the golden and silver eggs that contained cash! By noon, family was arriving and we hosted Easter lunch. I made the mistake of buying doodle 2 dozen confetti eggs so I basically spent the rest of the day cleaning up.

My summer planning is in full swing too. Nat and I finalized plans on our California trip and MSW and I made the reservations for our beach trip! So many fun things to look forward to and I am so glad that my two big trips are in the books!!! I am so looking forward to lazy summer days at home too. That is the great thing about my gig....I do not feel guilty at all about spending 4 months in the summer being lazy and going where the day takes me after 7 months of a busy schedule. If you notice my math is not adding up (I get 3 weeks off at Christmas and a week of Spring Break, so technically I only work 7 months out of the year- plus the holidays sprinkled throughout those 7).

With all the party planning, running around and finishing up my semester everything at home decided to go "caplunk" on us. My dishwasher broke Sunday night, the electrical plug...the only electrical plug in my bathroom has no electricity and the bathroom remodel project is so close to being done but there is a little leak in the new toilet so MSW needs to carve out some time to reinstall that to see if it solves the problem. I can't stand for things not to be in working order. Unfortunately, none of it will get fixed tonight since we have doodle's performance and last night was tee-ball so on to another day without those functions.

And as busy and hectic as our life is....I look at the pictures above and realize there is no other way I would want it to be! I will miss these days and I cannot imagine life without a baby in a highchair with sweet potatoes all over her face while a half uniformed boy searches for his ball cap. God's blessings are in the "everydayness" of it all. When my head hits the pillow each night I am exhausted in the best of ways. No other way I would want it other than filling each minute with absolute life to the fullest!

April Fools!

A couple of months ago doodle brought home a library book on April Fools day. He was enthralled with the book and by the end of the week he had it memorized. He schemed and planned all the April Fools tricks he was going to play. But as it goes during our childhood years, a week feels like a month, a month a year and so he forgot about it all. However, mama didn't....and oh did I have some tricks up my sleeve!

After he went to sleep last night, I blew up a bunch of balloons. Before I went in to wake him up this morning I positioned the balloons all over his bed. When he woke up this morning, he woke up in a sea of yellow balloons....April Fools! He was surprised! I can't wait to see what he thinks about his snack and lunch today. Mama might have just added in some gummy worms throughout his food and added yellow food coloring to his water bottles. Let's hope he reads my note that ensures all his food is edible!

I was so tempted to pack MSW's lunch in a Super S bag this morning, but I stopped myself. I'll have to come up with a better trick for him later on!