Boogity, boogity, boogity!

Scottie has been dying to take Caden to a real Nascar race pretty much since he was born, but definitely since he's gotten so into racing lately.  So, of course we figured they would go to a Charlotte race but the Coca-Cola 600 is the LONGEST RACE EVER and we thought Caden would get bored or go to sleep before it was over.  So they decided to go to the Allstar Race.  Scottie and Caden took off on Saturday morning and spent the whole day down there.  Jaxten and I didn't go because I think it might be too loud for Jaxten's little ears!  Because we have so many people from our family in the racing industry, they were able to get Pit and Garage passes and they saw everything!!  Caden had a ball and he can't wait to go again!

This is when they first came in.  They asked someone to take a picture of them together.  (Don't have a clue what kind of car this is?  Pink with rainbows and kittens???)

Caden in front of his favorite car, Kevin Harvick!  Everyone thought Kevin Harvick might be leaving RCR because his contract was up.  But they had a big announcement that day at the track.  Harvick was re-signed that day which makes us all very happy.  Caden doesn't have to switch favorites, and we've spent a lot of money on #29 cars for him! 

In front of the Kevin Harvick car in the garage.  The teams usually won't let you get too close to the cars.  They have the area around them roped off and you can stand outside the rope and look.  But almost every time that Caden walked up to a car, they would let him go right up and touch the car and walk all around it!   Someone from Harvick's team even gave Caden a tire changing socket thingy!  He was just walking around talking to everyone.  They would ask him questions about cars and drivers and he knew his stuff!  Must have thought he was cute or something! 

Caden with the tool box for Jeff Burton.  Paw paw also helps with this car too. 

Jimmie Johnson's trailer!!  Go #48, WOOHOO!!

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed under this picture DO NOT represent the opinions of Caden or Scottie!)

Every time Caden walked up to a new car he would say "Wow! That's a cool paint scheme!" or "Look dad, that one looks different".  But when he went to see Jimmie Johnson's car, he walked around it and the crew chief came over and said "So what do you think?"  Caden replied "It's just the same ol' car.  All the other cars have different paint today.  Why didn't you do different paint?".   They got a kick out of that!

Sitting on a monster truck tire.  He likes monster trucks too, just not as much as race cars!

This was a Troops Edition F150 truck that was on display.

GO USA!

Caden sitting in a Legends car.

This is so funny and cute. 

These are the earphones that you can tune in to different drivers and hear them talking with the crew chiefs.  I think Caden was tuned in to Kevin most of the night.

I can't even tell who's what in this picture, but I thought I should put one of the actual race in here for effect :)

Unfortunately, Kurt Busch won that night.  Kevin Harvick came in 6th, Jr came in 12th, and Jimmie Johnson came in 13th.  But Caden had the best time and that's what matters!

Birthday, Zoo Fun, and IHOP!!

We went to the Asheboro Zoo on May 10th for Caden's birthday!  Scottie had to work :( so it was me, Jaxten, Caden and Mimi.  We ate at IHOP first......

(excuse me while I drool and slobber thinking about the strawberry pancakes and hash browns, YUUMMMM!)

 

Ok, I'm done. 

So we arrived at the zoo and parked on the Africa side.  I love the polar bears on the other side but Africa is becoming my favorite part.  The giraffes and zebras are always so close to you and the elephants really put on a show in the water!  The one thing I always hate is that no matter which way you go, you are going uphill.  It is a pain in the you-know-what (and everywhere else for that matter) to push a stroller full of baby and bags up a hill.  But I think I have figured out the key.  If you get on the tram at the entrance and ride it to the middle, you can walk downhill back towards the exit!  I'm going to try this next time.

Other than being so out of breath the whole time, it was a lot of fun! 

Here's a few highlights from our day.

Caden and Jaxten (totally passed out) when we first arrived at the giraffe and zebra exhibit.

I love watching the elephants!  They have so much fun in the water.  This one walked out to the middle of the little pond and just flopped over sideways.  She got her whole body completely under the water including her trunk.  She stayed under for the longest time.  If you hadn't seen her go under you would never have known there was a huge elephant in there!

My big boy Caden.  I love this picture because he isn't giving one of his "cheesy smiles"!

Here's all 4 of us in the flower building (the one that's usually the Aviary). 

You can't see his face but Jaxten is still sleeping.

Three generations!  There's that cheesy smile I was talking about!

Jaxten finally woke up as we were looking at the giraffes just before we left.  As you can see, he was very enthused about being there! 

My boys!

Caden "cheesy grinning" and Jaxten looks like he's thinking "I woke up for this?"

What is he looking at? LOL

I could just eat this kid with a spoon! 

We always have a lot of fun at the zoo.  At least I do.  I think it's one of my favorite local places to go! 

Now if I could just get to the San Diego zoo, I would LOVE to see the pandas!

Caden turns 4 years old!

Caden, you are 4 years old!

My little baby is not a little baby anymore.  I can hardly believe you are already 4 years old!  In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday I was holding a little baby.  (Oh, wait, I was holding a baby just yesterday!)  Anyway, you know what I mean. 

"Mom" and "Dad" are so proud of you!  (Although I really miss you calling me mommy, I'm just glad you call me anything!)  You are becoming such a young boy instead of my chubby cheek little toddler!  A lot has happened in the past year so I'm gonna do my best to at least cover the major highlights!

*You weigh 35lb (35%), and you are 41in tall (75%).  You are tall (which you did get from my side of the family, just not from me) and skinny (which did come from me)!

*As of June 30th, 2009 you are potty trained!  Well, that's the day we switched to big boy underwear anyway.  We tried for a long time to get you to use the potty, but you absolutely were not going to do it until you were ready.  Once you decided you were interested, there was no turning back!  You have had very few accidents since then and don't even have any accidents at night either! 

*Your clothing sizes are very hard.  You were in 3T last summer and most of the winter, but you hit a major growth spurt over the cold months and we had to buy all new 4T clothes.  The pants are way too big in the waist (thank goodness for adjustable waist bands) but they tend to be a little short on your long legs!  If a shirt fits really well on the shoulders, it will be too short too.  So, sometimes your clothes tend to look a little big on you, but I think that beats wearing high-waters!

*You are such a picky eater!  You get that honest from both me and your dad!  You love most vegetables including carrots, green beans, corn, sweet peas, squash, okra and many others.  You love almost any kind of bread.  You don't care much for meat but you will eat some chicken or burger or ham sometimes.  You have just recently started eating some fruit.  You have decided you like apples, bananas, grapes (only the green ones) and watermelon!  You will eat any flavor of applesauce but won't eat any other fruits.  I think it's a texture thing!

*Your favorite thing in the whole world to eat is pancakes with maple syrup and whip cream on top! 

*Your favorite candy is peanut butter cups.

*You usually sleep all night long in your room, but there are a few issues with that.  You will not go to sleep on your own in a room by yourself.....even with the light on.  So, we usually let you fall asleep on the couch and daddy carries you to bed.  Then, if you wake up, you come in our room and stand on my side of the bed until I wake up and see you.  And let me say, that is dangerous because you scared me so bad the other night that I almost took a swing and hit you right in the face! 

*Your favorite color is still green, which you must have gotten from Mimi!

*You are not into coloring and art very much.  You would rather be playing with your race cars or trucks or riding in your big F250 truck outside! 

*You LOVE LOVE LOVE all things racing!  Your paw paw works at RCR (Richard Childress Racing) and that's where we had your party this year.  Your favorite driver is Kevin Harvick #29 because that's the car paw paw works on.  Daddy has bought you almost every race car there is and those have become your favorite toys!  You know several of the drivers names and can match them with which car they drive. 

You like racing a little bit I think ;)

*You went to Bowman Gray racetrack in Winston-Salem several times last year and loved it!

*You started preschool last August.  You were in K3 2 days a week.  You did very well!  You didn't cry(most of the time) when I dropped you off.  You learned SO MUCH about your letters, numbers, shapes and colors.  It is a christian preschool so you learned a lot about God and Jesus and the Bible too!

*You have come a long way in letting go of mom too!  At 3 yr old, you were still very attached to me and had bad separation anxiety.  I think it started to change after I got pregnant with Jaxten.  I couldn't pick you up as much and then not at all at the end.  I was sick or having gall bladder attacks for a while so you had to let daddy help with your bath and bedtime.  I miss our time together, but I'm so glad you have gotten closer to your daddy too.  He loves you so much.  You are his pride and joy!

*You can talk really well for your age.  Everyone thinks you are older because your words are so clear and you are so smart.  Some of the last letter sounds that you mastered were the "L", "G", and "th" sounds. 

*You have a wildly vivid imagination!  You have learned how to pretend and any object can become something creative and fun for you. 

*You can sing really well.  You started singing at a very young age and have continued as you grow.  You stay in tune and even go for some of the "diddly dos" (as daddy likes to call them) with your voice.  I love singing with you and maybe one day we'll sing as a family with Jaxten too.  Some of your favorite songs are "Some on Pieces, Some on Boards"(written by daddy), "Every Need Supplied", "It Is Well", "I Am A Soldier", "Listen, Listen, Listen" (written by Paw paw), "Scars In His Hands", and "Three Rusty Nails".  Just to name a few :)

*You are a FANTASTIC big brother!!  I am so proud of the way you have handled a new little baby in our family!  I don't know how much you really understood at first, but you always seemed excited.  There was never a time when you had a meltdown or acted like you didn't want the baby.  Anytime I dropped you off at school or in the nursery at church, you always had to lean over and kiss my belly and nuzzle your ear on it (your way of hugging the baby, too cute!).  You started paying more attention to babies and talking about how "caah-uuute" they were.  You have been nothing but sweet since Jaxten was born.  You are so protective over him and love to talk to him and tickle him.  He loves you so much already too. 

I am so proud of the little man you are becoming.  Sometimes I think you are growing way too fast, but I absolutely love watching all the new things you can do.  You are incredibly smart.  I love you with all my heart.  You will always be my "baby" no matter how big you get!


 

Racin' Birthday Party!

We always struggle to figure out where to have Caden's birthday party every year. We've had it at the park by our house a couple of times and once at our house. This year was a no brainer though!  It was just a matter of getting permission and thanks to my dad who works there, that was no problem!  We decided to have Caden's 4th birthday party at the RCR race shop. 

Caden was absolutely tickled about it too.  He was so excited and he told EVERYONE that he was having his party at Kevin Harvicks race shop!  The big day finally came and he had a blast.  Lots of friends and family came.  My dad arranged for the museum and gift shop to stay open an extra hour just for us to take all the guests for a tour.  Everyone loved it!  Then we went back to the breakroom of the shop where we had cake and ice cream.  (Fancy Pastry cake.....YUUMMMM!)  Lastly, paw paw took everyone for a tour of the actual shop where the cars are built.  They got to see all the stages a race car goes through before the body goes on and paint and stickers get applied. .  I think the dads that were there enjoyed it as much as the kids did!  Overall it was a great day!

This is the cake table and Caden was getting ready to come in.

The best cake in the world from Fancy Pastry.  That's Kevin Harvick getting ready to take the checkered flag and Jeff Burton coming in second with Clint Boyer following in third!  Those are all Childress cars so those are the ones Caden likes!

Making a wish and blowing out the candles!

Caden, daddy and paw paw as we were getting ready to tour the museum.  This is where they keep all of Dale Earnhardt's stuff too.  I was not a fan but Scottie sure was.

The car that Kevin Harvick won the Daytona 500 in.  Just a little roughed up on the side!

Dale Earnhardt old car hauler.  The car goes up on top and there is a whole kitchen, bathroom and sitting area on the inside.  That is Mimi in the green shirt and the side of granny's face!

The front of the car hauler with lots of kids running everywhere!

Had to throw in a picture of this cute face too!  His paw paw was giving him a taste of vanilla ice cream and he was loving it!

(Isn't his shirt cute!?!  It says Mommy + Daddy = ME)

Jaxten is 2 months old!

Jaxten, you are 2 months old!

You are growing so much and developing a personality!  Here are some fun facts about this month.

*We didn't go to the doctor this month so I'm not sure how much you weigh.  But I know you are growing because I can feel it in my arms after carrying you around!

*You started out this month in a size 1 diaper, but moved to a size 2 on April 26th. (I think Caden was still wearing newborn diapers at this point!)

*You still wear some newborn clothes but mostly you wear 0-3 month outfits.

*You eat every 2-3 hours during the day and go longer between feedings at night.  You eat mostly mommy's milk but we supplement with some formula too, and it's usually about 3-4oz at a time.

***I performed the ultimate mommy taste test.  You didn't seem to like any formula too good so I decided to taste them all and see what all the fuss was about.   I was surprised when the results were in.  Breastmilk (yes I tasted my own milk, and yes I know...YUCK) actually doesn't smell at all and has a faint sweetness with barely any taste.  Carnation Goodstart and Enfamil Gentlease smelled like something sour or rotten and tasted like you picked a piece of metal off of a shop floor and sucked on it for a minute.  (I would like to publically apologize to Caden for making him choke down the Enfamil as a baby.  I'm seriously sorry!)  Finally, the Similac Advance smells and tastes like a mild version of Vanilla Ensure.  Not too bad.  So, that's how we picked which formula to use.  But you still prefer mommy's milk!

*You have started sleeping really well at night!  At 7 weeks old you started sleeping 6-7 hours at a time, or from about 9:30-10:00pm until about 4 -4:30am.  You wake up and eat and go right back to sleep for another 3 hours or so.  That makes mommy really excited to get more than 3 hours of sleep at a time! 

*You started smiling the week you turned 1 month old.

*You have started (almost) laughing at daddy.  It's definately a little giggle!

*You have started cooing and "talking" a lot!  It's like music to my ears!

*You spent the night away from home for the first time (not by my choice though)!  I had to have my gall bladder removed and spend one night in the hospital on April 9th.  You stayed at nana's house with nana and aunt Heather.  I absolutely hated being away from you, but they said you were wonderful!

*You caught a glimpse of Pacey (our Shar-pei) and just kept staring at him.  It's like you didn't quite know what to think of this big, hairy, wrinkly monster licking your foot!

*Daddy played the guitar for us at home and you turned to look at where the sound was coming from.  You watched him play and watched his hand and arm as he strummed it.  It was so sweet!

*You have your first favorite thing!  It is a paper that Caden colored at school.  It has a V and and vioin on one side, but the other side is the one you like.  It has a blue U and a colorful umbrella on it.  You will stare at it for the longest time and sometimes you instantly smile when we hold it in front of you!

Welcome Alydia Jade!

Scottie's brother Danny and his wife Christie have two kids. Jimmy is 14 years old and Alayna is 11 years old. Scottie's sister Heather has two kids, Dakota who's 9 years old and Mattie who's 4 years old.  We of course had just one child last year, Caden.  Danny started things off with his two, a boy first and then a girl.  Heather fell right in line and had her two, a boy first and then a girl.  So it fit the pattern last summer when we announced that we were expecting again after starting out with our first boy.  We completely blew the whole plan when we found out our #2 was a boy (and I wouldn't trade him for all the little girls in the world). 

But we were all shocked, to say the least, when we received a phone call from Danny and Christie about 8 weeks after we found out we were expecting.  Alayna got on the phone and said "hey, you know how at our 4th of July cookout you said next year we would have 6 grandkids at the party?  Well, make that 7 grandkids!" 

-----Pause as jaw hits the floor-----

That's right.  Danny and Christie, who's youngest is 11 years old, said they were having another baby!  She was due 8 weeks after me, and she got the girl!

On May 3rd, they welcomed to the world

Miss Alydia Jade

8lb 0.4oz

She looks so much like her daddy, but sometimes I can see Alayna in her face too!

 

"Uncle Scott" holding 1day old Alydia and 2 month old Jaxten.

 

Proud daddies!! (Can you tell they are brothers?!?)

 

All 7 grandkids!

Left to Right: Mattie, Dakota, Jaxten, Jimmy, Caden, Alydia, and Alayna