5 years

Saturday was Garrett's and my 5th wedding anniversary. I am amazed at how quickly it has gone by- just like everything else, I suppose. We have gone through so much during these past 5 years and have changed so much as people.

I remember back to 5 years ago on our wedding day and just feeling so swept up in the feeling of love- the unknown- our future. I felt like we could conquer the world. I had never been in love like that before and even though I was only 18 years old- fresh out of high school- I knew that this love was the real thing.

5 years isn't a long time, but it is something. In these 5 years we have moved from place to place, from college to college, and learned a lot of life lessons. We have grown as people, grown together, but most importantly grown more and more in love with Christ. We have had ups, downs, and in-betweens. We have had a baby...a piece of our hearts outside of our chests living and breathing. We have another baby on the way. We are more in love now than ever before and I thank God that 5 years ago- yes at the age of 18- I said 'I do' to the man of my dreams.

Happy Anniversary, Garrett, I love you more than words can say.

Changes Again! :)

I haven't written in quite some time. I find it harder and harder to make time to do so as Caden gets older. Since his 1st birthday on May 5th he has been growing so quickly. He isn't a baby anymore, but a little boy!

He is waking all over the place and is developing quite a little sense of humor (he is always making Garrett and me laugh). He is starting to say some words including Go, Wow, Woah, Ouch, and tries to say Cat.

The last few months have been a whirlwind! So much has changed in our little family. The biggest thing is that God is blessing us with another child! Tomorrow I will enter my 12th week of pregnancy...almost to the 2nd trimester! I am praying that with the 2nd trimester my morning sickness will cease and I will have a renewed energy. I am due January 28, 2012. Garrett and I had just started discussing when we would want to have another baby and little did we know, I was already pregnant! This baby truly is God's doing. :)

We had our first ultrasound of this baby last week and it was amazing to see! I was far enough along at this appointment that the baby was moving a little bit for us. It was so cute to see him/her wiggling around. :) The heart beat was 171 bpm and everything was looking good.

With this new addition coming we need a bigger place and are planning on renting a house in December when our lease is up. In order to do this we really needed the security of Garrett having a full time job. So, since May we have been applying and applying and applying to every stable job we could find. And the day after we had the ultrasound Garrett had an interview for a full time custodian position at a school. A few hours later we received the call that he got the job! Wow, talk about God providing! We are ecstatic and are praising God for His Provision!

Like most of the time, our future is somewhat unclear to us, but it gives me great comfort and peace to know that it is in God's hands and His plans are always far better than my own.

1 YeAr!

So much has been going on since I last posted.

Caden experienced his first Easter. We had a wonderful church service at the park and then had dinner at my grandma's house. He had a little cold, but besides that he really enjoyed the day.

And, of course, Caden had his 1st birthday on May 5th. I can't believe time has passed so quickly! Since we have so much family Caden celebrated 3 times on the week of his birthday. He had a big party at my grandma's on his actual bday and had a blast. He opened presents, we barbequed, we watched a video that Garrett made of Caden's 1st year, and of course we sang to him and he ate his bday cupcake.

This has been the best year of my life and I thank God for the honor of being a mom!

Caden has become so funny. He claps all the time, throws himself backwards in his crib and cracks up laughing, and he loves to be outside. On the warm days we go for walks and play at the park. I can't wait for summer.

Caden had his 1 year doctor appointment and besides being sick and having an ear infection the week of his birthday, he was very healthy. He doesn't weigh very much @ 18.5 lbs. The doctor said that is in only the 3rd percentile. His height is in the 39th percentile and his head is in the 83rd percentile...I think it's because he has a big brain. :)

Here are some pictures of his bday, Easter, and recently having fun at the park:

The Madness of March

Well, should I state the obvious that I haven't posted in awhile? haha. Things just keep getting busier and busier as Caden grows. He is crawling like a madman these days! haha. He gets in to EVERYTHING and goes EVERYWHERE he shouldn't. He is also pulling himself up to a standing position and using anything that is taller than him on his knees, even if it is just a toy. There have been a couple of spills, but not too many yet.

I am in awe of how he catches on to things and how smart he is. It gives me such joy to see him learning and growing- truly a blessing of being a mom.

It baffles me that Caden will be 1 year old in just 41 days! As I have been reflecting on this past year I have been humbled and so grateful that God not only allowed me to be Caden's mom but gave me the opportunity to be at home with him full-time. There is nothing in the world that I rather do!

Besides just watching Caden grow and chasing him around everywhere this past week was my 23rd birthday. I tried to spread it out into a "Birthday Week" and started out with dinner, presents, cake with my dad and family at his house. Then Garrett, Caden, and I went out on the only decent day that week to the zoo. It was so much fun, Caden actually watched the animals with interest. Then came Wednesday, my actual birthday. We had our usual schedule during the day and once Garrett got off work we went to dinner at Red Lobster while my mom watched Caden. Then we headed to my grandma's house for red velvet cake and chocolate milkshakes...my request. :) Then...I am still going, haha...Friday my mom and I went out to lunch and did a bit of shopping.

Well, that's about it for now. I want to, of course, share some pictures of my cutie pie!

Have a good week, everyone!

2.14.2011

Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day!

We had a great time as a couple and has a family of 3!

Garrett and I celebrated early by going to dinner at the Melting Pot. It is a fondue restaurant downtown. We had a 4 course meal and it was so wonderful! Especially because we never have such "fancy" eating experiences. If we ever go out to eat it is usually to Red Robin (which IS my favorite restaurant by the way).

Then on Valentine's Day we had a yummy breakfast of pancakes and strawberry smoothies!

Then we gave Caden his Valentine, which was The Very Hungry Caterpillar book. Then after a morning nap, we went to the park for the first time with Caden. He LOVED the swing. He was just laughing away. Afterwards we went to the mall for a few things and then had dinner in the food court.

Such a fun day celebrating the love in our life. :)

HaPpY VaLeNtInE's DaY!

A Most Amazing 9 Months!

Caden is 9 months and 3 days old today. He had his 9 month check up with the doctor today. I wanted to record his stats from the doctor and some other things about him at this age. Each stage goes by so quickly and the last thing I want to do is forget!

Caden @ 9 Months:

*Weighs 17lbs & 10 oz - 8th percentile

*Is 28 inches tall- 38th percentile

*Head has a circum. of 18.25 inches- 78th percentile! haha.

*Wears size 9 months mainly, but can wear some 12 month sizes.

*Sits on his own, but sometimes randomly throws himself backward and bonks his head. :)

*Does the "arms crawl" and always drags his right leg when he does it...pretty dang funny.

*Rolls like a crazy person.

*He is ALWAYS moving. He doesn't like to sit still or to be held. He just wants to be free, especially when I am changing his diaper or clothes...this has been a major challenge lately.

*He LOVES bath time. It definitely relaxes his and he loves to splash in the water.

*He enjoys shopping with me. He just observes everybody and watches all the things roll by.

*Daddy makes him laugh more than anyone. He especially likes it when he makes funny noises.

*He is VERY ticklish.

*He can't get enough of his bottle...this is going to be a tough one to break.

*Likes reading time with mommy. His 2 favorite books are "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "I Love You, Goodnight."

*Calms down when I sing "The Ants Go Marching" song.

*Still loves jumping.

*Likes his oatmeal, mangos, and carrots.

As he grows I love to see his personality develop more and more. He is such a character and I am looking forward to each day that I get to spend with him. :)