Caden's 2nd Birthday

This August we celebrated Caden's 2nd Birthday. Brian had Guard so Caden and I enjoyed the day together. My parents surprised us when they arrived from Arizona for the festivities. We were so happy to see them. In the morning, I woke up and made Caden's birthday cake. After the beach this year, Caden was in love with Mickey Mouse; therefore, I decided to try my hand at making his cake. This little project took me three hours, but I loved every minute of it. It was so sweet to see how much he loved it which made it all worth it!! By the time he woke up it was time to head to the swimming pool with my family. Caden had a really good time and enjoyed going down the water slide. In the evening we had our family over for cake and ice cream.

The cake from the pan. It didn't come out as easily as I would have liked; therefore, quite a bit of the detail was lost. It was in one piece which was a great start for me. Here is the cake with the eyes and tongue done.

The cake is done - Mickey is ready to eat!
Dexter, Brooklyn and Caden going down the water slide.
Papa, Grandma and Caden at the pool.
The rest of the crew at the pool.

The birthday party - everyone watching Caden open his gifts. All of our family was there and Caden had a wonderful time with his cousins.

I hoped this year Caden would be a little more excited to open his birthday gifts. The first couple went okay, but it was downhill from there. He would open a gift and then want to play with it. Because there were 40+ people at the party there were quite a few gifts to open. We forced him through it and all in all, it was a success.

Some of his gifts included:

• A wagon with a sun canopy
• Toy Story 3 race track for cars and Woody pajamas
  
• A playhouse
• A buggy
• Stuffed animals, books, computer, clothes, shoes, cars and a puzzle

Caden's Two Year Stats:

Height: 36 inches (85-90th percent)
Weight: 31 pounds (80th percent)
Head: 19.6 inches (80th percent)

He continues to grow and is very healthy. His development surprises me each day. He loves to talk and at times scream, which is not very enjoyable.

Some of Caden's favorite phrases:

• Bounce with me - This means turn on music so I can put my hand in the air like a gangsta.
• GO UTES - He loves to watch football with daddy and especially likes to cheer for the Utes.
• I play cars a minute - He normally says this at night right before bed. Because Brian and I are suckers he gets to play for 5-10 minutes before bed.
• I love you - Caden first told me he loved me on Friday, Sept. 17th. It was soo sweet. He now says it often to both Brian and me. He also tells Seffa (Melissa) that he loves her too.
• That's so nice

Caden's favorite things to do:

• CARS - He eat, sleeps and dreams about cars. He loves to play and hold them. He also loves the movie Cars; especially Mater and Lighting Keen as he calls him.
  
• Tackle - He loves to run and tackle his daddy.
• Play with friends - Unfortunately right now he is the only boy in our group of friends. Come on Sadie, I mean ladies, get on that.
• Play outside - He loves to play in the flower beds with his bobcat. He also love to play on his playground and in this house.

Each day I get to spend with our little boy makes me realize how blessed we are to have such a healthy, energetic and smart little boy. He is the love of our lives.