Pu-kin Patch!

For the first time in months, we had a Saturday with nothing to do but spend some time together. The weather has finally started having a bit of fall crispness to it and I was ready to harvest! We drove out to Oma's Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside, which was a nice alternative to the long haul we've drove to Bate's Nut Farm in the past.


One of the fun things about Cayden being two is that you finally really get to share holidays and other little moments with him. He was pretty into his pumpkin and seemed really excited to run around.


For a few dollars, all kids get to go on a hayride, get snacks, and take home a pumpkin (a really cheap outing!) Cayden rode home with his pumpkin on his lap, but after dropping it several times & Thom having to pick it back up, it was missing its stem and had a ripe hole on the top by the time we pulled into the driveway. Papa was very thoughtful and picked him up a fresh one later at the store, which then negated my thrill about a cheap afternoon.


Just like Papa, he flocks to the "am-mi-nals" and is so comfortable with them. There were a few sheep though, that weren't quite as cool with his comfort...

Unwrapped Gifts.

A few days after Cayden's birthday, we took a little family time to go unwind in the park. One of Cayden's big gifts this year was from Grandma & Grandpa "Choo Choo" (Thom's parents). We originally thought that we were going to buy a bike for his 2nd birthday, but when they also inquired about it we thought, "Nah...grandparents are more likely to buy him a much better tricycle than we ever would!" The certainly delivered!


I'm not sure if Cayden has the gross motor skills quite yet for peddling. Much of his bike riding consists of pushing or scooting himself across the sidewalk. Doesn't matter though, he loves it!

Birthday Blues...

Poor Cayden. He doesn't know that his mama is a teacher, and that his birthday falls precisely at the end of the busiest week of the year for me. This goes both ways; I will likely always be scrambling to pull his parties together for the years to come, but, he also is my constant reminder of why I need to slow down sometimes and remember that he is my most important student of all.


First birthdays are a big moment for the whole family. Everyone comes back together to celebrate the first year of the baby's life; it's a huge moment for parents and grandparents. But, Cayden's second birthday seemed much more for me. I intended for it to be small, but I think there were almost twice as many people there as last year! It was a milestone for our family; Thom and I have been parents for two years. The baby memories are already starting to fade away. I can't stop looking at Cayden and thinking about the amazing little boy he's turned into. And there on that afternoon, despite all the phone calls I don't return, or passes I give to nights out were the people (with the exception of two) that love me and my family, just as much as they did on the day Cayden was born. This whole circle was celebrating two years of our family's journey. That felt amazingly good.


Unfortunately, when it came time to celebrate the big occasion, Cayden didn't feel the love we did. He was terrified!

Our little monkey, he played so hard that day, and I scheduled party time smack in the middle of nap time. He was pretty worn out by the end of the day, but I secretly loved it because when the guests were gone, and the tables were cleared, he settled into the ever-so-familiar place in my chest to sleep. The same exact place we spent our first night together two years ago. Happy Birthday Monkey.