Easter 2009

Happy Easter!!! This blog is a little late, but these days it has not been easy to keep up with the blog and the family. Our first family Easter was great. Cade looked adorable, and our Easter service at cLife was great! We are looking forward to watching Cade hunt Easter eggs next year :) What an awesome time of year to celebrate Christ's resurrection!

This year I was able to talk with my 6th graders at school about Good Friday, which was awesome. They had a lot of questions about what Good Friday was for, and we were able to talk about it. They were so cute asking questions like: "Why is it called 'good' Friday?" They thought it should have been called Black Friday. It's all perspective I guess.

The best part is: Christ is risen!!! And that gives us a hope for tomorow.

6 months old: A Bittersweet Time

There is a beautiful bluebonnet patch in Forney by the flags. This is Cade Leland on his 6 month birthday. It is such a bittersweet time for me. I love that Cade is learning so many new things, but I can't believe that my baby is half a year old. Don't get me wrong. I don't miss those newborn nights, but I do miss that newborn look and those tiny baby clothes. My sweet boy, though, is sitting up now and he wants to badly to start crawling and even walking. We went to the doctor this morning and Cade weighs a whopping 19 lbs. and he is almost 28 inches long. He also got his shots, so these bluebonnet shots are a little deceiving. He actually wasn't too thrilled about taking these pictures at this point in the day. The shots had kicked in, and he was pretty fussy. At least he was a good sport for a few of the pics. CADE: Daddy and Mommy love you so much! We can't believe how quickly you are growing, and you remind us daily of God's love and blessings. Happy birthday!

Marriage retreat-Cade's first overnight stay

This past weekend Blake and I were able to go to our church's first marriage retreat. It was a great time for us to get away and just refresh. We were reminded of ways to renew our relationship, and we're actually attempting to follow through with some of the things we learned.

To go on the retreat, though, we had to leave Cade with Blake's parents overnight :( It was our first time to be without him that long, and it was, of course, much harder for me than for Blake. Luckily, my mother-in-law was nice enough to send us pictures during the weekend. The first picture she sent Friday night was Cade taking a bath in the sink. It was so cute, but it almost made me cry. He did such a great job, and we knew he would. He has his Daddy's social personality. We can't believe how old he is getting. He is sitting up now, and he gives such wonderful hugs and kisses. Blake and I feel so blessed to have him, and he adds so much to our marriage.

Blah...Internet woes

I was just reading a blog entitled "Bad Blogger," but I think I definitely win that award. It has been almost one month since I've blogged. Our home internet has been having issues (I am currently on my parents' internet). AT & T said that somehow our account was erased? Not sure on that one, but the guy that Blake talked to said he'd only seen it about 3 times in his 10 years there. Someone from AT & T came to fix it, but for some reason it still doesn't work. I'm not even sure where to start on what I've missed.

On March 10th, Cade turned 5 months!!! I think that's the main thing. I'll try to fill in the gaps as I go through pictures. Until then, here is one of Cade's 5 month pics

Fireproof weekend

Our family has had a pretty eventful weekend. On Friday, my mother-in-law Dana had a mastectomy. Blake and Cade were able to go up to the hospital to sit and wait during the surgery. We only found out two weeks ago about her breast cancer. It was a shock to us all. It really makes us re-evaluate things. Blake and I talked about how it's hard to think about your parents being mortal. We know in our head that they are getting older, but we never realize it until something like this happens. Dana is doing well, and she is in great spirits. We visited her today, and she should be going home tomorrow. I was impressed to see her sitting up with her makeup done when we walked in this afternoon. With the short span between the diagnosis and surgery, we all haven't had much time to dwell on the situation, which is an answer to prayers for all of us. We are now praying that she won't need chemo or radiation. Thank you all who have been praying for her and our family.

Friday night Blake and I were able to go see Fireproof (http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/) at the church. It was almost like a real date night! Those are few and far between these days. It was a great movie once we got past the cheesy acting. Blake and I had a chance to talk last night and on our way to the hospital today, which we haven't made time for lately. The movie was a great reminder of living in a godly marriage. We often get too busy to notice that anything might be wrong. We go through the motions, and after a month, two months, or even a year, we realize that we are more roommates than husband and wife. Blake and I are really looking forward to cLife's marriage retreat (March 27-28th) as well. You can start signing up Sunday...just so you know ;-)

Overall the weekend has been a great one. Blake and I are looking forward to relaxing as a family tomorrow night.

1st taste of cereal

Cade had his first taste of cereal today. It was quite comical to watch him try to eat off of a spoon. He didn't last very long before he wanted his bottle instead, but it was a start. We can't believe how fast he is growing, which was confirmed by his Dr.'s visit on Friday.

He weighed 17 lbs. 5 ozs. (93%) and was 26.5 inches long (95%). Dr. Sonnen said he looked great, and his lungs sounded better than on Tuesday. He also gave us the okay to try some cereal and foods with Cade. I wasn't sure if he was going to, though. First he had to give us his speech about the lack of nutritional value in baby food and the commercialization of it being forced upon the last few generations. Blake and I just smiled and nodded. I'm all for listening to the doctor's advice, and I am glad to know that we don't have to rush into feeding him, but I am realistic. Cade is a big boy and cereal seems to be more filling. If not, luckily, no harm no foul.

Cade also got his next set of immunizations. Blake thought he would have to leave the room after his last traumatic experience, but Cade actually did pretty well. After his band-aids were put on, I gave him his "bink" (pacifier) and held him, and he seemed to calm down considerably. Blake wanted me to cry, though ;-)

Cade is growing into such a little man, and I'm thankful for him everyday!

RSV :-(

So, I took Cade to the doctor on Tuesday, and we found out he has RSV. The doctor said it was pretty normal for babies, and he gave us an inhaler to help with his breathing. It is so nice to have something that finally helps him. He is still pretty congested, and he has successfully given me a cold, but he is so cute, so it doesn't matter :-)

Tomorrow we go to Cade's 4 month well baby check-up! I will try to update and add pictures soon. Our internet at our house has been down :(