Cadie was especially wiggly the other day with her cute pigtails so I only got a good shot from behind. Hopefully a pretty front shot coming soon.

Cadie is done with her bottle! She had her last bottle last week and she has been doing pretty well. I think she does miss it, but we have been transitioning since the middle of October so it was pretty gradual.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving which included Grant and I making delicious homemade pumpkin bars which included real cream cheese icing, dinner at Charlotte and Ken's, watching the BU vs. Tech game at the new cowboys stadium while cousin Lauren babysat for the first time, visit from Lindsey Coffman, getting some good deals on Friday, and Grant decorating for Christmas. Much to be thankful for this year.

Calm

I have felt such joy and peace lately. Why?
- Entering the celebration season of the birth of our Savior
- Seeing my husband truly come into his own at work and with life in general
- Experiencing Cadence becoming a little girl with a loving, playful, and flexible demeanor
- Healthy family members and being heavily integrated into both sides of our families
- Restful sleep at night

I love coming home in the evenings, playing with Cadie, debriefing with Grant, reading and resting in our room, watching the leaves turn colors, and trying to be present in these moments.

It isn't that our lives are not without complications (e.g., very long hours for Grant at work, likelihood that I will loose my job, vacant rental properties, etc.), but I just have a feeling that Grant and I are in a phase of our lives that is especially sweet and especially fleeting. I hope that I can tuck away into my heart the feeling of small arms around my neck, the warmth of Grant reaching over to hold my hand in the night, the laughs on the phone with my mom and sister, the happiness of drinking a cup of coffee and watching Cadie play in the sandbox, and so many other moments that are gifts from the giver of all good things...

"...the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." - Numbers 6:26

Cracker in the Sandbox

What kind of Mom let's her kiddo eat crackers in the sandbox? Hey, don't judge! At least she has on a coat and shoes. Eating a little sand adds flavor.

Chicken Pox Blessing

Cadence has the chicken pox! And what's worse, is that she got them from the doctor. I thought it was so strange on Monday night when she was all bumpy. I called the pediatrician first thing Tuesday morning and found out that she received her Chicken Pox vaccine during her Oct. 8 one-year doctor visit. They said it is not all that uncommon for kids to get a mild case of the Chicken Pox about one month after the vaccine. Wish they would have told me that! When I asked them why it wasn't mentioned during the vaccinations, they said it what on their website - whatever. Anyway, they are still real chicken pox, although not a very bad case. They said she should be all better within 4-7 days. However, during that time Grant and I are juggling schedules since she can't be at Mimi's. While I am sorry that she doesn't feel 100%, it has been an incredible blessing to have a few quiet days at home with Cadence. I just love being around her, hugging her sweet little body, rocking her to sleep, eating lunch with her... I think she is going to wish she had Chicken Pox more because she has had a good time too. We have been very busy with oatmeal baths, watching the men across the street trim the trees, listening to 94.9 and singing praise and worship songs, having tea parties with her dolly and monkey, doing the laundry, and snuggling. Who wouldn't love this sweet face?

It Takes a Village

I have the most complex child care system ever. I have plans A through F. This past week, Plan A (Mitzi and Brenda) was not in effect since Mitzi was in San Miguel Mexico visiting her daughter Montana Walsh. So plans B and C were initiated. Thankfully Cadence is so flexible when it comes to spending time with different people.

My friend Laura Dickinson watched Cadie (along with her own 3 kids!) on Tuesday and Wednesday. Laura is super-mom and Cadie loves playing with her sons Miles and Max. Laura reported that Cadence, Miles, and Max played nicely in the playroom together for more than an hour. I think Cadie gets her love of toy cars from Miles and Max. Don't tell her, but I already got Cadence a dump truck for Christmas.

On Wednesday my Mom drove into town and then she took care of Cadie on Thursday and Friday. My Mom did so many fun activities with Cadence! They went to the arboretum, baked a cake, played in the sand box, swam in the pool, and had lots of fun Grandma/Cadie time. Cadie and my Mom were both tired after all their fun! Cadence took 5 hours of nap yesterday, and I bet my mom wished she had 5 hours of nap too!

Hanging out at the Arboretum.

Baking a cake. Cadence was a huge help. Thankfully my mom had it all cleaned up by the time I arrived on the scene.

Princess Party

Today we went to friend Ella Bray's 3rd birthday for a princess themed bash. Cadie had the best time and Ella Bray was a great hostess! Ella Bray is a faithful blog reader and we just love you! Happy Birthday cutie!

Anyway, there was a ball pit and Cadie would just fling her whole body into the ball pit and roll all around. She got filthy and we came home with a film of grime, sprite spilled down the front, grass stains on the tights, and cake in the hair. Definitely the results of a great birthday party. As I was scooping Cadie up to go home I said, "You are such a dirty, dirty princess..." This resulted in some looks from other party goers, but I did not mean it that way at all!

Time Out

The defiance has begun. Cadie has been throwing, not accidentally dropping, food off of her high chair. Telling her "no" has not been effective. Swatting her hand, also not effective. This week past week I tried something new - Time out - it really works. When Cadie threw her food I said "No throw food. Time out." I then took her to our half bath (of course removed the trash can, toilet paper, etc.) and shut the door. She screamed like she was being left for good. It was HORRIBLE. I only left her in there a few second and then hugged her, told her how much I loved her and calmed her down. We had two full evenings of so many time outs in a row that Cadie got so upset that I didn't even end up being able to feed her dinner. She is just so defiant! After the first time out, after I calmed her down, I put her back in the high chair to resume dinner and she put her little hand under the plate and flipped the whole thing at me just because she was still mad which, of course, resulted in another time out. I hate doing it to her. But after two nights of the time outs (Tues. and Wed.) I think she is over it! She tried once at DD and Big John's, I think just to test me, and I put her in time out at their house. That is the only time since Wednesday and she used to throw half her food on the floor. I think she is really scared of time out. She accidentally dropped some food on the floor at breakfast on Saturday and she looked at me with such a scared face. I told her that I knew it was an accident and it was ok. I am sure this is the beginning of a long discipline journey...

Just a pic of Cadie hanging out with Dad and Aunt Whitney today before lunch; during which you will be happy to know there was no food thrown on the ground.