Express Yourself

Just yesterday I jumped in the shower while the baby took a little snooze in the morning. More often that not Cadence likes to join me while I bathe, which I usually don't mind since this not only gets both of us clean but also allows me to see exactly what she's up to. Yesterday she however did not want to come in. A part of me was relieved...finally, a shower alone! But as I heard her wander out of the bathroom while I got lathered up, I couldn't help but doubt this scenario. A small but growing panic began deep in my gut, increasing with intensity the longer she stayed out of the bathroom. What could she be up to? Taking out all our DVD's, throwing things behind the couch, jumping on her napping baby brother, unlocking the front door to make a run for it....the list of possibilities zipped through my mind.

"Cadence?" I called out in a sing-song tone. No response.

"Cadence?" I again called out, with perhaps a bit more urgency. No response.

No wait! I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard the soft thuds of her return into the bathroom and saw her silhouette appear on the other side of the shower doors. I then shivered a little as a blast of cool air rushed into my otherwise cozy showering space when Cadence slid open one of the shower doors.

"Mommy?" she replied with a smile. I smiled back and quickly asked her to shut the shower door as it was letting the water out (not to mention the cold air in!). As I continued my shower I began to hear a repetitive tapping sound on the tub outside. I dismissed it, realizing on some unconscious level Cadence was doing something, but really not caring at the moment so long as it was in the bathroom where I could easily respond should something go awry. I finished my shower and with a very content feeling stepped onto the bathmat to grab a towel. You might imagine my surprise to step out and see this:

I was a little surprised and then chuckled. Apparently Cadence had decided the tub needed a makeover. The fortunate thing is she used her specially designed bath markers, that wipe right off with water. She easily and gladly cleaned it all up once I snapped a few shots of her artwork. A very small price to pay for solace in the shower.

The Kiddos

One morning I had the baby laying on my bed ( I really do try to make it...honest) and Cadence decided to jump right in with baby "bubba". That's what she calls him these days. She then decided to share a book with him. She really loves her books and has a set of Disney Princess books she rarely parts with. We read them over, and over, and over, and...well...you get it.

My little guy seems so strong already at just two months. He holds his head better than Cadence did at that age...of course she had a much bigger head. He's such a happy little guy, smiles and talks with anyone who gives him a little attention.

Daddy and son bonding with the PlayStation, even Cadence likes to watch!

Swim time

Our kids are getting their first swim lessons in the same pool I learned to swim in....there's really no better way to beat the summer heat, unless of course you follow up a swim with some ice cream! Can you tell my dad loves being a grandpa?

Been awhile...

Man the weeks get away from me sometime! We all survived daddy being away for awhile pretty well....no major meltdowns from any of us! I did get a little sick the last couple days and called for reinforcements one night (my mom!). Over all the time flew by but we were all so happy to greet daddy at the airport when it was time. That night we returned home to find a large group of suspicious looking young men in the parking lot next to our house and in the alley behind us. We noticed some fresh graffiti on the doctor's office next door and the young men were playing loud music and appeared to be enjoying some alcohol. First time we've encountered a scene like that...so we decided to call the police to check things out since it was already after 10 PM that day. I told Eric I was glad that incident happened the night he returned home rather than while he was gone. The group dispersed shortly after our call and then we got to continue our evening with a quick visit with Eric's dad. It was good to see him too. We have no pix from Venezuela to share. Eric did take our video camera, but we forgot to put a card in it to capture stills. It's the type that uses mini-cassettes and I honestly haven't figured out how to upload the videos to the computer...I'm guessing there is a way! Eric really enjoyed himself and came back from the trip with a new energy for everyday life. Maybe next time the kids and I will get to go too!

We miss you daddy!

Eric left yesterday to Venezuela on a short mission trip with our pastor and another person from our church. He'll be back next Wednesday. I got word the group arrived safe and sound with all their luggage in tact. I've been talking to Cadence about daddy getting to ride in an airplane and that the airplane will bring him back in a few days. I have a feeling I'll be repeating this very often in the next week!

I'm excited for him even though I'll be a little lonely in the evenings. In the meantime I plan to make the most of it...I ate mac and cheese for dinner tonight with Cadence and have a date planned with some local Chinese take out Eric doesn't really care for. We'll see what other things I can come up to do while he's gone...like watching some chick flicks and hanging out with friends.

Cadence

These days Cadence is quite the active little girl with an ever-expanding vocabulary. At times I am so amazed at the things a 2 year old can do....while at other times I am completely frustrated at the things a 2 year old can do! Cadence has mastered doors and locks pretty well....resulting in mommy being locked out of the house one day after taking some trash out. She enjoys coloring and drawing happy faces. I recently introduced her to the world of painting as well. She attempts to sing the A,B,C song....you can at least recognize the tune and some of the letters. She can count to three, which is as far as she will go so far, despite my coaxing to learn to say "four". She can also now change out DVD's and turn them on, turn on the radio and CD's, as well as turn on the microwave (all no-no's). On day she tried to microwave her magnetic alphabet letters...that could've been ugly!

She loves to be involved in everything we are doing and is constantly asking to "help". A toddler's help can be great at times, and not so great at others. For instance, when my phone is ringing in another room, or I need the baby's pacifier, she is usually eager to fetch those things for me. However her "help" today also resulted in her freshly prepared lunch plate getting dumped all over the kitchen floor...which she got to help clean up. But most of the time we do try to find ways to include her in our daily activities in age appropriate ways...even if this means the task will take 2-3 times longer to complete than if we had done it ourselves. This allows Cadence to learn new skills, but also increases her self esteem, and her sense of belonging. The joy she expresses at being able to be by our side and accomplish something new is so priceless.

I can't help but think this is how it is with us and God. He includes us in His work, though he really doesn't need our help, and could probably get the job done better and more quickly without us. Instead He chooses to relate with us...He allows us to learn and grow and builds our confidence and sense of worth by this inclusion in His plans and purposes (and I'm pretty sure God's patience is far more endless than my own too).

What's more is how often Cadence also recognizes some of her own limits and asks us to help her with something. Granted some of these requests for help are whiny, tearful expressions of pure frustration...sometimes after throwing a toy across the room, but then again...how often do I approach God with my problems in a similar manner? What we aspire to teach Cadence is that we will be here to help her. We are trying to teach her it's ok to be frustrated and to come to us when that happens rather than throw things and hit. Sometimes I watch her in a tantrum and can't help but chuckle to myself and think that's how I must look to God at times. I'm just so thankful for His endless patience and unconditional love towards me in those ugly moments. I'm so glad He's a God I can approach in all sorts of ugly...and I hope we can be like that as parents for our children...to give them a little glimpse of God here on earth, to help acquaint them with the ways of their Creator.

To Cousin Malorie

Cadence is excited for the day she gets to meet you and play with you!

We love you!

Butterball

Our son is fat and happy....he's now 6 weeks old but already weighing in between 13 and 14 pounds! One of my friends recently joked, "What are you eating, sticks of butter?" He really is a pretty happy baby...eats, sleeps, poops, toots, coos, smiles and of course cries when he needs to. He can bat at toys somewhat now, as well as our faces. He is often captivated by the activity of his sister as his vision is improving. He is lifting his head up off the ground briefly during tummy exercises, and has already pulled one of daddy's chin hairs out with his grasp. And joy of all joys...he sleeps from 5-7 hours at night! He's fun little guy, we are definitely enjoying him...even Cadence!

Birthday Fun

Cadence is 2! Her birthday is July 12th, which happened to be on a Saturday this year, so we planned a day of fun in her honor. Here a some of the pictures from throughout that day:

We started with a pancake breakfast, she's checking out the happy face I put on hers.

After we all got ready for the day we headed to Storyland in Fresno, a fun spot I remember going to as a kid where you get to explore some classic nursery rhymes and stories. Here's the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland.

I was going to get a cute shot of Cadence crawling into the maze...instead I got

this:

Here she is in the maze:

The old woman's shoe:

A cool part of Storyland is getting to hear the stories. You can purchase a plastic key that when inserted into these boxes at various stations, will begin the story being read. The park has been upgraded since I was small and each story can now be heard in either English or Spanish...your choice.

Stained glass in Noah's Ark:

Captain Cadence, "Yo-ho!"

Three Bear's chairs:

A castle complete with moat monster!

Fun on the merry-go-round:

Slides are good for kids of all ages!

Lunch at the wonderfully retro Chicken Pie Shop. A vintage spot in Fresno's Tower District with old fashioned lunch counters and great food.

That night we had some family over for a yummy lasagna dinner, presents and cake and (home-made) ice cream!

Happy Birthday Cadence!