Finally....A Tooth!!

Yay!! After months of endless drooling and weeks of very long nights, Caden has finally gotten his first tooth! We are so excited and are hoping that is the reason he has been waking up 6 or 7 times a night and nursing nonstop......well, we can dream, can't we??!! (I'm sure the real reason is....SPOILED!!)

Mushy Mom Moment

At Colton's request, I took him to eat at Chili's. Kyle and Mia were doing yard work together, so it was just me and my two boys. We had a great time and Caden did surprisingly well. As I was buckling Caden in his carseat to go home, I tickled him and asked "How'd you get to be so cute?" I clearly wasn't expecting an answer, but Colton spoke up from the back seat and said "It's because he came out of the belly of a cute mom." It sure is nice to know that even when you are feeling tired and frumpy, your kids still think you are the greatest!! Thanks, Colton. I needed that!!!

Soccer Game!!

Colton had a soccer game this weekend and did great!! He scored 3 goals and was so excited. We were very impressed with his team. They have all been working so hard at practice and you could definitely tell. They worked together as a team, dribbling and passing, and it was an awesome game. The final score....16 to 2. Go Shooters!!!

Strawberry Pickin'

Every year we make at least three trips to Marble Falls to go to the Sweet Berry Farms. In the fall, they have a big pumpkin patch and in the spring/summer, they have strawberry and blackberry picking. Well, it's that time again!!! Kyle took Colton and Mia strawberry pickin' and they had a wonderful time. I stayed home with Caden (Kyle thought I could use a quiet afternoon and some rest....as if that was going to happen with an active, teething baby around!!) They had such a great time (dad is always SO much fun!) and even stopped off at a creek/watering hole that they love to go to on the way home. The big weigh in....11 pounds of strawberries!!!

Biggie Man!!

I can hardly believe Caden is 9 months old already! He is nearly 22 pounds and his vocabulary consists of ma-ma, da-da, and ba-ba. He seems to crawl faster and faster every day and has been pulling up on anything he can get his hands on. He still has no teeth and despite his little interest in baby food, he is definitely a healthy boy! When Caden was just a month old, Kyle used to joke about how we went to Wendy's and got Caden "biggie-sized". Well, he has certainly proven us right and the nickname has stuck with him. He is our "biggie man" and we love him to pieces!!

Princess "Bootie"

While at Disneyland, Mia fell in love with Belle, one of the few Princesses we were able to get her picture taken with. Kyle insisted that we couldn't leave Disneyland without getting Mia some Princess dress up clothes and of course, she chose Belle's beautiful yellow gown. Grandpa insisted that she also had to have the matching shoes, purse, gloves, wand, and tiara. When we got home, she got all dressed up like a Princess. We told her that the Princess' name was Belle. Colton disagreed with us and told her that her name was Princess Beauty (from Beauty and the Beast). Mia believed Colton (of course, 7 year old boys definitely know more than their parents) but couldn't quite say it correctly. So, from now on, she is none other than "Princess Bootie".

California Vacation

We went on our first big family vacation and had a wonderful time in sunny California!! Grandpa came with us and survived 7 nights and 8 days, as well as 2 flights, with us and our three kiddos! The highlight of our trip was Legoland. Colton was in heaven! It was amazing to see all the things that were created out of legos. Colton's favorite was the lego Darth Vader and Mia's favorite was the lego Dora and Boots. We had such a terrific time and left with a much greater love for legos (if that's even possible)!!

We also spent several days at Disneyland. The kids had a great time there, too. Mia loved seeing all the Princesses and Colton loved all the rides. Caden was such a great baby the whole time. I carried him in the sling most of the time and he took great naps in the stroller.

Some things we learned on our trip:

• Even with sunscreen, babies can get sunburned!
• Colton is our little thrill seeker...loves those roller coasters!
• Mia is *Miss Mia* no matter where we go...sassy, sassy, sassy!
• If you go to Disneyland with a single rental car key in your pant pocket and ride lots of rides, it WILL get lost (Kyle will never live this down!!).
• Croup follows us wherever we go (Our trip ended with Caden in the ER in Anaheim - we flew back to Austin 3 breathing treatments and 1 steroid shot later!!).
• We never want to fly with 8 suitcases, 5 carry on's, 2 car seats, and 1 stroller again!!! We have got to learn to condense!!

All in all, we had a wonderful vacation and are already thinking about where we'll go next year!