Stitches...Round 2

As we were getting ready to leave Grandma and Grandpa Taggart's house the other night, the kids got a little crazy and were running around with their cousins. I was about to say, "Settle down" and "Let's go!" when they ran into the living room and one of the cousins accidentally pushed Caden into a table that was holding a ceramic rose. One of the petals jabbed into Caden's cheek, leaving a pretty deep wound. We knew he'd need stitches so we left the other kids with Aunt Julie. We had to stop at home for a minute and decided to stop by our neighbor's house, who is a PA, to ask his opinion. He agreed that we'd need stitches and went above and beyond by offering to go with us to his clinic and do the stitches himself. It was late, so the only place that would have been open was the ER. It sure put Caden at ease to know that his friends' dad would be taking care of him, instead of a stranger. Thank you Matt! This was Caden's second time having stitches (pushed by brother the first time, just 6 months ago). He was petrified the first time, but he was so calm and brave this time. The best part of this experience happened when we got home. Logan had been crying and was so worried about Caden. He and the cousins drew cute pictures for Caden. Logan hugged Caden and told him how much he loved him. It was so sweet to see this tender side of our normally tough boys. They do love each other after all!

Happy Birthday Caden!

Caden turned 4 on Friday. I can't believe how quickly he's growing up! We had a busy weekend and Caden loved every minute of it. His friends, Rylan and Ethan, also have birthdays on the same day, so we had a big Halloween Party for them and some of their friends. Grandma and Grandpa Stott and Aunt Kim and Uncle Jason came up from Utah for the weekend, and spoiled the kids, of course. We also had the rest of the family over on Saturday for another birthday celebration. Caden asked me, "When I turn 4 can I still have my funny blankie?" I thought it was cute that as much as he wants to grow up, there's still a bit of a little boy in there that likes his blankie and chocolate milk.

Caden loves everything Star Wars! He was very excited about his light saber and other toys.
My attempt at making a pirate cake almost failed at the last minute. I held the cake together as we sang so it wouldn't fall apart!
We love our little pirate. He is so fun-loving and tender-hearted. His favorite things are animals, bugs, digging in the dirt, Star Wars, pirates, super heroes, and sports. He is quick to laugh or make us laugh and loves to wrestle with his brother and Daddy.

The Things They Say...

Today Caden came to me and said, "I'm hungry. Can I have a grand crapper?" I laughed to myself as I found him a graham cracker. I hope you're not offended by the "strong" language, but I thought that was too cute not to share. I don't think I'll ever think of graham crackers without smiling again.

Soccer in the Snow

We knew we'd have to gear up for Logan's soccer game today. We heard there was a chance of snow, so we bundled up in our coats, gloves, hats, and layers of clothes and headed to the game. I forgot how long it takes to bundle everyone up! The wind was nearly blowing us over when we got there, but at least it wasn't snowing. Logan and his teammates were such troopers, taking off their coats to play and never complaining of the cold. We told Logan to run around A LOT, so he wouldn't freeze. Shortly into the game, the snow came. The kids were so excited and distracted by it that we had to keep reminding them to play the game. They were catching snowflakes on their tongues and slipping and falling all over the place. Brooklyn was tired and frozen--a bad combination! Luckily Caden kept himself busy on the playground with some friends. Is it possible to go back to Arizona just for the soccer/football season? I wouldn't mind that weather right now. Logan only has one game left, but this is just the beginning for us. I'm sure we have hundreds of games yet to go to over the next 15+ years. We better learn to grin and bear it... and wear snowsuits next time.

Family Fun

We went to Teton Spectrum Raceway last night to celebrate the birthday of one of our friends. The kids had never been there before and they had a blast!

Brooklyn was obsessed with the race car video game. We didn't even have to put any quarters in and she was perfectly content.

The boys loved the inflatable toys. We were amazed at how quickly they maneuvered through the obstacle courses and went up and down the slide.

Brandon used Brooklyn as an excuse to go on the slide. I think he enjoyed it even more than he let on!

This was Logan's first time on a go-cart. Somehow he knew just what to do and avoided crashing into the wall and his friends.