False River Weekend

So this weekend was tons of fun as little Caden got to experience his first boat ride!!! I have known all along he would love it, because he is a lot like his daddy in the way they think. So the minute the boat took off...he loved the water, the movement, the breeze, and all the scenery around. Me and Ryan are two people who love being on the water, activities on the water, and entertaining with food and drinks while enjoying a sunny weekend!

We had a great Friday night at Hot Tails a new award winning restaurant known for it's Cajun Cuisines. It was really good and great atmosphere! As always in New Roads you will see many from Baton Rouge doing just what we did - it's like all places are like the Cheer's of New Roads - you see people you know! So we enjoyed good food, good atmosphere, and good company at Hot Tails! Caden was a great sport too and as always loves being included in the plans. While we ate crawfish balls and boiled seafood he ate mushy bananas. One day he will get to enjoy!!!!

Saturday we woke up and enjoyed a big breakfast and got Caden ready for him swim in his pool. My goal has been to take him swimming and get him use to the water so he won't be as afraid when lessons come time. We are lucky because we have lots of pools for him to swim in from his Aunt Leslie's to my parents and several other friends of ours. He loves being in the water and honestly, I think he is beginning to love False River. It's like a home away from home. I have high hopes he will grow up learning to fish, water ski, swim, boat, and enjoy relaxing weekends up there! We have an adorable family next door who has a little boy about 4 or 5 years old who is out there with the birds every morning getting ready for his fishing with his dad and their boat ride out on the inner tube. He tells us about each experience every time we see him. His excitement gets me excited too. I know Caden loves the outdoors...so I want to expose him and create a fun environment while doing so! We invited some of Ryan's friends Chad and Chris to come and join us Saturday and it was a blast skiing, tubing and of course a visit to Satterfield's for music and a drink! So glad they came too.

Sunday we took Caden on his first boat ride around one time and then we dropped him and Big Dad off while we took ole GG (Teeta) out to grease up her rusty wheels haha...surprisingly she didn't need much practice and she showed up me, Ryan and Liz! She still has it for sure...

Two teeth and a big boy sitting up!

This sweet little boy is getting so big! Already 30 inches long and 22 lbs for a 6 month old is off the charts in height and 90th percentile for weight. This little boy might be one of the sweetest babies ever with his contagious smile and happy personality about 99% of the time day to day. He giggles non stop too at his daddy, mommy, and anyone who plays peek-a-boo with him.

He has two teeth on the bottom and he smiles big and you see them every time. I feel like he was just a baby yesterday and now he has two teeth??? His eyes are still bright blue and we are certain between his Poppa in McKenzie and his Great Grandfather Big Dad McCollister both having blue, they'll be staying this way.

Caden also now has a strong will to constantly sit up. He acts like laying down is for babies or something. Unless Barney is on, he won't lay down much anymore. Barney is his new obsession to the point Ryan and I know the words to all the songs and it's beginning to drive us crazy though humorous.  

We had a fun trip to Myrtle Beach where Ryan played golf and Caden went with the ladies (including his Aunt Carrie and MoMo) and his future girlfriend Amelia's beach house pool and hung out. The ladies all caught up and he was so peaceful letting the jabber put him to sleep every time. 

Caden and Amelia

Caden and Aunt Mo Mo

At dinner on the last night

The flying was also a new experience for us. Caden did for the most part pretty good except for the fact he wanted to open and close the tray and constantly look out the window or down the aisle at people. What was I thinking buying myself magazines to read???? I think that was a first time mom with kid on plane attempt. I realize that will never happen and my days of ipod and magazines are long gone if I fly with Caden. 

We head to Orange Beach next week GG and Big Dad, Caden has all his beach gear and beach hats ready for his first visit to Turquoise in Orange Beach! We are so excited to get him in the pool and his feet on the sand. AND THIS MAMA is excited to get some relaxation after a big event, Head2toe, on Saturday.

Beach pics to follow......

Loving this lil one more and more by the second!

I just got our 3.5 month photos by Jeannie Frey who I LOVE as a photographer and I wanted to share this sweet little boy's contagious smile. As you can probably tell if you are my friend on Facebook, I am obsessed with him! I went on a trip this past weekend for 3 days and being away from him was so hard. I had a blast but not an hour went by without thinking about him at least once and how I just wanted to hug him!!!Getting home to him and having him giggle and laugh while Ryan convinced me that was the happiest he had been all weekend so he knew that Caden was happy to see me left me in smiles. This boy never stops smiling, is always cuddling, and has the most genuine loving spirit that will grow into one big loving teddy bear when he gets older! I can just tell. I had to add my furry babies too....

A Weekend at False River

We have had a lot of busy fun weekends. Starting with a trip to Memphis where we hung out with Ryan's family and of course the Lucius family with crawfish and tons of good company...to a fun weekend with my family, Alexis and the Lukes' at False River!

Caden loved the peacefulness of the lake. It was so fun to be able to rock him on the swing and watch his eyes light up staring intently at all the ducks, water, fishers, and boats. Many times I was rocking him on the porch and thought he was asleep bc he had been so still, but he was just observing and loving the weather and scenery. He is def. his daddy's son.

We got up there on Friday and went to dinner at Ma Mamas. If you know this place, you know it is like the Cheers of New Roads. The entire family is working in there and the wait staff is like family to them too! Everyone knows everyone. Angela who is one of the wait staff came up and swooped Caden away and before long he literally knew all the visitors and kitchen staff too.

Saturday was so fun. English, Will and Alexis came up with little William and we had a full day. We were so excited Alexis was able to come, and that William and Caden could get to hang with their T-Lex as she insist on being called :-)  We boiled crawfish, went out on the boat, played in the baby pool, and had our fair share of food and beer with good company. William was so sweet to watch as he embraced "Baby Caden" as he calls him. His interest in him actually lasted longer than I anticipated! It was so cute to see the two of them hanging out, knowing the little men will be best of buds for years to come!!! Caden kept staring at William like why are you smaller than all the rest of these people....and he constantly was trying to reach for William and grab him, especially when William would sing to him. So we think he is taking to him just fine!

Loving the hammock

Matching outfits

Satterfields

Adult time consisted of a fun ride out and visit to Satterfields for an hour...while Big Dad and GG kept lil William and Baby Caden.

I look forward to taking him back again in April...and soon enough he can go for a boat ride with us!

Everyday gets better....

So as many have told me 'it just keeps getting better and better', they couldn't be more right. Ryan and I were just talking last night and saying how we can't believe how much more we fall in love with him every day, it's such a vulnerable feeling but amazing one at that! I love snuggling with my little man, I can't get enough of it...and he is so sweet and has a heart for both me and Ryan shows how much he loves us with his face lighting up when he sees us and his cuddling... it just melts our hearts!!! 

We can't believe how much each day brings a new surprise whether it be a face he makes, a noise we have never heard, or even a movement that proves he is growing so fast he is hardly an infant anymore! He is 19 lbs, 29 inches long and lean but carries about everything in his cheeks!!! You can see that below. Last night we actually heard a belly laugh giggle and we just couldn't get enough of it! Lately our lil Bubby (which is my new nickname for him, was my Paw Paw's name, and ironically I had no clue but my dad was called this growing up!) has discovered his voice. It is so entertaining right now (ask me again in a few months if the screaming is still cute) but he does this talking scream and he impresses himself with how he does it! Then he focuses really hard and does it again. So cute. He also has this secret crush on Dora I think. We had a fun trip to Memphis this past weekend and on the way home when he watched Dora he would have a serious face but as soon as she came on the screen he started smiling so big. Liz thinks it's because Dora looks like a young version of her  ;-)

This weekend we head to False River, where lil Bub will hopefully get his dose of pretty weather out on the lake and of course some fun in a baby pool. He will also get some play time with his buddy Lil William!!!! We are doing ANOTHER crawfish boil and I can't wait until the day they can eat crawfish with us! I also can’t wait until the two of them are playing together and we can even take them out to water ski. Memories to come...and of course pics from this weekend. He has hit new hat all ready!

Little Caden is starting to talk!

So the revelation I have had this week is one that I have heard my whole life but never really embraced until now...the ole statement 'enjoy where you are because they grow up fast!' Hearing it I always just shrugged my shoulders and said yeah yeah ok that won't happen to me. Well I am now starting to look around me more often while realizing that my friends' children were just babies the other day! With that said, I look at my sweet little boy who is 3 months old Thursday and already in 6-9 month clothing.

His  personality is already showing and even his strong will like both his parents (which will come back to haunt me if anything like me as a child) that even when I put him in his car seat he now gives all of his effort to resist and lean up and out of it! When and how did this happen?!! Now he has urges to lift his head on his own constantly make me even more conscious of this time passing.... His new thing lately is his desperation to talk to us as we cheer him on, you can see how he studies our faces and then blurts out a noise and gets really excited by it. To top it all off he is growing in length and size weekly, and we are already moving into 6-9, some 9 and even a few 9-12 clothing because he is so long now he barely fits in the things he has!

We visit the doctor next week and will have an update on how long and how much he weighs. A month ago (at 2 months) he was the average size of a 4 month old! I have no doubt this little boy has his grandaddy's genes and will be tall! No doubt. If he eats well like his father, he will be a big boy! LOL...

Here is a video of the sweet pea talking to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiiPsPcGuek

SMILES!!!

Our sweet boy has been full of smiles this week! I have been able to capture several on camera. This sweet thang actually keeps me out of bed on those early mornings, because I am far from a morning person, but when I see that beautiful face light up...it keeps me from getting back in bed for 30 more minutes! As I sit there talking to him and in awe of him each time he smiles at me. He has been growing so fast and we keep trying to relish every moment as I hear it goes by faster than we will be able to imagine.

Here are some pics of his happy faces this week that I caught on camera.