Lucas Robert- March '06. My thinker with a huge vocabulary and a bigger heart. So full of life and wonder and imagination. Future engineer or architect or whatever he puts his mind to. My tender mama's boy with the rough-and-tumble outside. Whether playing cars or reading books or just sitting with mama, he lives life fully. And I think that is great!!
Caden
Caden Lauten- August '08 With the warmest eyes that light up the room, he is my little love-bug who wants to be with mama at all times! Never content to just sit, except when snuggled close in the sling where Mama's face is just a reached out hand away. My little explorer, following his brother and puppy everywhere, my baby and the light of my life!
 | |
| Lucas age 3, 2009 |
 | |
| Caden age 3, 2011 |
 | |
| Lucas loved the farmhouse and all the animals. It was an immediate favorite. |
 | |
| Caden playing with the same farm animals |
 |
| Lucas getting his post-1st day treat |
 | |
| Caden and his cone- I HAD to keep up that tradition! |
Read more...
With Lucas starting school this week (more on that another time), Caden and I have had some really precious time together. We have taken walks and had breakfast together and sat and played Justice League. As emotional as the week has been for me, having these sweet times with Caden has been therapy for my soul. Here are some pics from our walk this morning:
Caden wanted to collect sticks. Our collection got so big, that he had to get out of the wagon and walk. hehe!!
A boy and his pup- they have a special fondness for each other.
After our walk, we sat on the sidewalk and played with superheros. It was too nice to stay inside but we had to get our Justice League time in. :)
It's Caden's turn to be interviewed. I started with Lucas when he turned 3 and today is CADEN'S BIRTHDAY!!! Hooray! We have a fun day planned with the family today- lunch with daddy, Pirate's Cove amusement park and then dinner out somewhere. I love this little guy. He certainly tests my patience and pushes my buttons. But he is so sweet and snuggly and has sings the most angelic little songs. I think Caden might could have a career in music... or maybe football. Or both! :)
So here they are... the thoughts and likes of 3yr old Caden.. enjoy!
Favorites:
If you could change your name, what would you choose? Thor, because I like him. Or a Kung Fu Panda name, like Tigress.
What do you love about each person in our family? Daddy- hugs, Lucas-great hugs, Hadley-I like when him scratches his back. Mommy- I like to play with Momma
Where would you like to go on vacation this year? Vacation Bible School
What are some of your wishes for this year? My wish, that I could go to the moon.
On Caden's last day of being 2, we took advantage of one of the MOST PERFECT days you could ever hope for and went into the city. We took the train with our buds, walked down to Millenium Park and just had a fabulous time. Games and crafts and blocks in the FamilyFun Tent, lunch at the Bean, an impromptu performance of the CSO (ok , so they were practicing but it was still pretty cool!!), and then an extended amount of time to splash and play in the faces fountain (it probably has an official name that I just don't know). It was perfect! The weather was great, we were with out best buddies and it was a very fun day!!
Tomorrow is Caden's birthday.... gosh. I can't believe he is so big. He has told me twice this week that he really wants to be a "big guy." But I just want him to stay little a bit longer. he is probably my last "little" and am not ready for that stage to be done. Although, I must announce that he is 95% potty trained and I am pretty excited about that!!
Anyway, more on Caden's birthday and his first interview tomorrow but for tonight... some pics from our very fun and practically perfect day.
Building houses with the blocks in the Family Fun Tent
Caden's serious, mature side as he sits and listens to the Chicago orchestra practice in Milennium Park
All sorts of splashing fun in the faces fountain
I cross posted this from my DupageMamas blog today. I think it bears repeating...
My baby is about to turn 3 this week. People are always telling moms of young kids to enjoy these early years because the time goes fast. Too fast. I used to just smile and humor whoever was saying it this time. But these days, I breathe deep and nod my head because I am seeing how true that is. Too true. My hubby and I took our boys to a movie in the park last night. As we sat in the dusk light, waiting for the movie to start, my little guy was in my lap and my older son sitting between my Hubby and I. I felt a wave of something rush over. Looking at my boys, I just felt so, so grateful. Grateful for this fun summer moment, all sitting in the grass together eating candy and watching this movie. Grateful for our little family, for these boys and the Hubs. This gratefulness brought along with it it's cousin contentment and I sat there and just drank it all in.
Because of the movie, the boys went to bed late but yet they woke up at the exact same time as usual. This made for some general crankiness today. Last night's emotional rush was lingering still but was somewhat lessened by having to referee fights and squash the whining. I left Hubby to do lunch and naps and headed for the Flashes of Hope Peds in the Weeds picnic for families of chronically and terminally ill children. My good friend Carrie runs the FOH Chicago chapter and I offered to volunteer at the photo shoot they ran at today's event. (If you don't know about Flashes of Hope, check out the website. They provide free professional pics of kids and their families.)
Seeing these kids and their families today was more than inspiring. I have been hugging my sweet 3yr old tighter this week anyway for lots of reasons. But coming home today, I made sure to take both boys and squeeze them until they almost popped. Then came that rush of gratefulness all over.
I had a brief conversation today with a mom of a 2 and a half year old boy with some complex medical issues. She didn't get into it, I didn't ask. It didn't matter. He was one of the most delightful, precious little boys I have ever met. He radiated happiness and joy, and so did his 3sisters and 2brothers. It was quite evident that they are all so grateful for each other, no matter what life is bringing their way. It was truly inspiring to watch this family love each other and this little boy so much that is was palpable to a bystander like me.
Life throws a lot at all of us. Sometimes, it is easy to tell myself that I have had more than my fair share. But all I have to do is look around and get my eyes off me to realize that is so far from true. I have SO much to be grateful for. My boys are the biggest thing but not the only things by a long shot. I felt grateful for them last night. But being at this picnic today took my gratefulness to new heights.
Thank you Carrie and FOH for the joy you bring to these families. And thank you for letting me be a tiny part of it today. I walked away feeling more like myself than I have felt in awhile. Funny how that happens when I get my eyes off me.
Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!
Rather abruptly at lunch yesterday, Lucas announced that he really wants a sister. But not a baby sister "from my tummy." He wants us to adopt a sister that is closer to his age so he has someone to play with. He said he had been "really thinking about this." I could see it on his face. He was very serious and thoughtful. It was not a whim discussion. And although his comments caught me off guard, they did not catch me by surprise.
He has said before that he would like a sister, but has never been so specific about adoption and wanting an older girl to join our family. I know that part of this adoption idea being sparked in his head comes from asking about a book I just finished that tells the story of a family's adoption journey. But it wasn't like he was borrowing an idea. It was more that one had been uncovered and he now had words for it.
His words were both tender and funny. He has figured out where "our girl" would sleep and sit in the car and at our table. He has an idea of what her name should be but he's not ready to share that yet. The longer we talked about it, the more he wanted to say. It was as if he could picture it more and more and couldn't contain how much he would love if it all actually came to be. I kept asking why he thought he wanted a sister, specifically one his age. After saying "I just do" about a dozen times, he finally got quiet.
"Sometimes, I just feel like I don't want to be the oldest. Like if my brother were here, I would have someone to be with me." My heart stopped for a moment. There it is. The root of this is a longing that I totally get. I feel it with him, I just didn't know he felt it like this. He misses his brother.
When asked why missing Micah makes him want to have a sister and not an older brother, his reply brought some much needed tension release to the moment. Pointing at Caden he says, "Well, I have already seen how that goes and I think I want to try a sister this time." LOL! (disclaimer: These boys LOVE being together and LOVE playing together. Caden is just a bit intense for Lucas sometimes and a bit frustrating at this stage.)
I relayed this conversation to Hubby later in the afternoon, but more in a "hear the cute things our son said" kind of tone. When really, his words have touched a deep place in my soul. I don't know if we would ever adopt another child or not. Reading this book has certainly revived a desire I have had since high school to share our family's love with a child who may be in need of some. But parenting these boys is hard and makes me wonder if I have what it would take to parent through an adoption and be the right kind of mother to a girl of any age. But Lucas' words still ring in my ears. Is God using my 5yr old to water a seed?
I certainly don't know yet. I told Lucas that as a family we could talk more about this and pray about it. I told him he should ask God if this is right for our family and see what God says. But no matter what, if any, concrete action comes from this lunch conversation, I at the very least got a glimpse into the soul of my son and it was precious. So very precious. He has such a tender, little heart that longs for a brother he has never met. This visceral longing that has forever changed me resides also deep in this boy that, in many ways, rescued my soul from darkness. He also longs for a sister and I just can't dismiss that. I think I might long for that too. But the thought of bringing a little girl into our family, no matter the route, is daunting and a bit terrifying to me.
I am grateful for the heart of this little boy. I am touched by his words and thoughts and fully aware of God working in his soul. And mine.
Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!
Tonight, I asked Lucas to go upstairs and have a quiet moment in his room after the third or fourth time of asking him to stop crashing cars and superheros so loudly that I couldn't hear myself think.
Hubby and I could hear him doing something in the kitchen instead of being in his room. When we came upstairs, we found him cutting out random shapes out of paper and taping them to his face. He was making a disguise so he could come back downstairs without us recognizing him. LOL!! This kid cracks me up!! Listen to his own explanation of what kind of costume he was creating and then see little Caden making a costume mess of his own...
Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!
© Blogger templates Palm by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
