Dancing Man

One of Cade’s favorite things to do right now is dance. He knows that phones, tablets, computers, and speakers all play music and when he sees one he says “d” and starts moving his head to an imaginary beat. He’s clearly got some serious moves he’s working on.

Florida Roadtrip!

Aunt AJ, Cade and I took a roadtrip to Florida to spend some time with Leeman and Suzy (Cade’s greatgrandparents). Cade did a great job in the car and we had a fantastic visit! Cade decided that showing off at Leeman’s office would be a great time to take his first steps – we caused quite the disruption.  Here are some pictures from our trip.

IMG_3342

Little man’s roadtrip face…he doesn’t know what’s coming his way at this point!

IMG_3347

Cade got to watch his first movie on the trip down – Happy Feet. While it didn’t keep his full attention, it certainly made the ride more enjoyable.

IMG_3355

Looking at fish with Leeman while waiting on grandma at the airport

FullSizeRender_1

FullSizeRender

IMG_0826

Cade LOVED the pool. He didn’t however love the float or his life jacket. He was much happier playing on the steps and getting in and out of the water over and over again.

FullSizeRender_3

And who doesn’t love to dump water in their face?

IMG_3349

His prized posession from the trip – his very own remote from Leeman and Suzy. He carried it everywhere!

   IMG_3356

IMG_3361

Checking out the ocean from the pier with grandma. He was very excited about the water.

IMG_3368

Cade didn’t like the fluffy sand on the gulf coast, but he was a big fan of the water!

IMG_3396

His first homeade chocolate chip cookie – he approves.

IMG_3397

IMG_3398

At the top of Cade’s list of favorite things from Leeman and Suzy’s – the cabinets. They have lots of cabinets in the kitchen and den and Cade had a ball opening, closing, and climbing inside.

  IMG_3406  IMG_3413

Leeman let Cade have a ball he found at his house and it provided lots of entertainment on the drive home. Yes, he put it on his head and just left it there.

IMG_8116

And on the way home we got to see Aunt Lauren and Olive Sue!

DSC_0626

A great trip with great people!

 

 

 

 

Cade learns to walk!

Cade has decided that it is time to walk! That is literally what I think happened as he technically learned how to do it  a few weeks ago yet still decided that crawling was a sufficent means of travel. It took lots of encouragement to get him to do it on his own, but now he’s decided he’s a fan! Here’s a clip of his first real steps. AJ and I got him to walk for a cookie while we were visiting my grandparents 🙂

 

 

Summer 2015 Week 3

IMG_3489_1

Day 13 –  You know, just hanging with buddies. Who needs clothes?

IMG_3495_1

Day 14 – Gigi comes to play and brings Annie. Dogs are Cade’s favortie thing right now, so this was a perfect combination

IMG_3494_1

Day 15 – More fun with Gigi! So thankful for great parents who love on Cade!

IMG_3511

Day 16 – Cade discovers the most fantastic grocery cart on the planet. He said vroom vroom all through Kroger

IMG_4671

Day 17 – Cade gets a library card. Don’t let the picture fool you, he was far more excited about sitting in the small chairs than the books

IMG_3531

Day 18 – Cade “walks” Maddie.

IMG_3540

Day 19 – “Helping.” We’ve been doing a little DIY kitchen remodel and ended up with a leak in the sink. Cade was VERY excited to help daddy fix the problem.

Summer 2015 Week 2

IMG_3368

Day 6 – Cade meets the ocean. Water = win, Sand = not so much

IMG_3389

Day 7 – Cade discovers pickles. He loves them. I of course, can not stand them or the smell. Grandma had to give him a bath 🙂

IMG_3398 IMG_3401

Day 8 – Discovering his love of cabinets. Leeman and Suzy have A LOT of cabinets and Cade thought they were awesome

IMG_3418  IMG_3419

Day 9 – Go to work with mommy day and sit in a big boy chair! Hours of entertainment trying to put large pens in his cheerios.

IMG_3446  IMG_3454

Day 10 – Happy National Doughnut Day (who comes up with these?) And yes, I gave him a chocolate one. Don’t judge.

IMG_3461

Day 11 – Front porch swinging with daddy

IMG_3466 IMG_3468

Day 12 – Deck fun including sitting on steps (a new favorite skill) and playing with the water table.

 

 

 

Summer 2015 Week 1

Summer is here and the Boden house is pumped! Cade is home all summer with Trey and I. I am teaching one course at GSU and Trey will continue to work, but has some really great vacation time. Cade will be spending most of his days with me with some days with his amazing Aunts and grandparents.

I have a goal this summer to document our days. The idea is to take a snapshot each day to document what I think Cade’s highlight of the day is. After the first week, I have learned that what I hypothesize is not always accurate (See day 1 and 3). We will see how this little project goes!

Week 1 was short as Wednesday was his first official day off –

IMG_3307

Day 1 – Who knew that heavy yard machinery was so much fun. Watching Coach aerate the yard was by far his favorite thing on his first day of summer. By his standards, way better than the pool. Funny boy.

IMG_3319  IMG_3320

Day 2 – First time having cereal with milk. This quickly went from me feeding him happily to him holding the spoon and eating with his hands. He’s not ready for cereal with milk.

IMG_3335 IMG_3332

Day 3 – He learned to climb into the bathtub. With a tape measurer. I’m not sure why we buy him toys.

IMG_3342

Day 4 – Roadtrip! This moment was a highlight…taking selfies with mommy and Aunt AJ. It quickly turned into a “why in the world am I still in this carseat” But he was a champ. To Leeman and Suzy’s we go!

IMG_3349

Day 5 – His very own remote from Leeman and Suzy. He carried it around ALL day and couldn’t be happier about it.  Currently it’s hanging out with Suzy’s pots and pans while he sleeps.

Because the hat is way cooler on him…

 

 

I’m finally done with school and it feels great! Graduation was a few weeks ago and since the ceremony started at 7:00 PM I decided it wasn’t worth trying to take Cade. Oma was amazing and took great care of him while the family went to the ceremony. Prior to leaving, we had an impromptu photo shoot in the front yard and the pictures are just too cute not to share. The hat looks ridiculous on me, but it’s pretty cool on the little man.

DSC_0590

DSC_0577

DSC_0574

DSC_0578

DSC_0573

DSC_0554

If you need a good laugh –

A Little Man Party for the Little Man

DSC_0282

I told myself that I wasn’t going to do a lot for Cade’s first birthday. But I just couldn’t help myself. After all, he only turns 1 once….or maybe that should say I only have my first child have his first birthday once. In the midst of interviewing for a job and preparing for my dissertation defense I used Cade’s party as a great outlet for procrastination. And it was awesome! I’m glad I allowed myself to enjoy the planning and preparation for buddy’s big day.

The day truly was perfect. We had great weather and Cade was in a great mood. We spent the morning with family, had pancakes, and played outside. We got to celebrate with family and close friends who were so sweet to spend the afternoon with us. Cade was all about getting new toys and LOVED his cake. Seriously, he ate like 1/4 of it and cried when I took it away.

The decorations – Thank you pinterest for the ideas. Thank you Aunt Amy, Aunt AJ, Debbie Cakes, Gigi, and Oma for all of the crafting help and food prep!

DSC_0204

DSC_0203

DSC_0210

DSC_0209

DSC_0208

DSC_0205

DSC_0213

DSC_0212

DSC_0148

A very happy birthday boy waiting on his pancakes!

DSC_0153

Devouring some blueberry pancakes with daddy and Debbie Cakes

DSC_0173  DSC_0165

When we go to the grocery store, Cade always points to the balloons. So for his birthday, he got three and he loved them!

DSC_0198  DSC_0192

Morning birthday ride in his radio flyer – enjoying the beautiful weather!

Party time – I did a terrible job of taking pictures of all of the fun, but I managed to get a few. Here are some of my favorites.

DSC_0219

DSC_0237

 DSC_0298

DSC_0293

Cade’s girlfriend, Ella, came to celebrate with him and this progression of pictures is too funny!

DSC_0221

The kiss…

DSC_0223

Okay, I’m done…you can leave now…

DSC_0231

Maybe I’ll sneak another in while he’s not looking…

DSC_0232

Seriously chick! Little man apparently doesn’t like an audience when he’s getting kisses.

The cake – To say that Cade liked his cake would be an understatement.

 DSC_0239

DSC_0243

DSC_0254

DSC_0246

DSC_0275

DSC_0280

DSC_0270

DSC_0285

Happy Birthday Cademan!

And just like that, he’s 1

[justified_image_grid preset=16 ids=1163,1153,1154,1155,1156,1157,1158,1160,1161,1164,1162 caption=off mobile_caption=off specialfx=off mobile_specialfx=off last_row=hide]

Cade DeMoy Boden is 1 and this officially marks the quickest year of my life! Cade is such a blessing. Trey and I can not imagine our lives without him. This year has been filled with so many wonderful first moments as a family of three and we will cherish those memories forever.

Cade has grown into such a sweet little guy. He is inquisitive and wants to explore everything around him. If he is awake, he is moving and into everything. He has the best laugh and thinks that so many things are just hilarious. He loves to be outside, but hates the grass. Eating is an activity on the top of his list. He can wave, but only when he wants to – maybe a bit of mom’s stubborn personality coming out. He likes to “ride” on his tricycle, and thinks that balls are just the greatest thing ever. He is in no hurry to walk, but can fly across a room crawling. Cabinets, containers, and doors provide hours of entertainment. He’s a lover of blocks, cars, and people. Mommy is still his favorite, but he recognizes and loves lots of his family and friends.

At Cade’s one year checkup he weight 20 lbs 6 oz and was 28.5 inches tall. He’s catching up with his weight (30%), but is only in the 7% for height. Those Boden genes may be too strong! He has six teeth and is working really hard on #7. His hair has gotten long on top, but the sides are still struggling. He’s got one lone curl in the back, so we will see if he gets mommy’s curly hair.

IMG_2851

My dissertation “helper.” Thanks Cade, I didn’t need those 100 pages in order 🙂

FullSizeRender

Helping mommy mail his birthday invitations

IMG_2781

I’m not sure what this caption should say, but this picture is awesome.

IMG_2791 IMG_2794

Learning to use a bowl. I love that I sent this picture to Aunt AJ with the caption “name that movie” and she immediately responded “Ralphie!” I’ve that’s lost on you, you should watch A Christmas Story.

IMG_2801

Pointing is certainly one of his favorite skills

IMG_4314 IMG_2839

And then there is this skill 🙂

IMG_2867 IMG_4318

A boy and his dogs. No matter what we do, he insists on sitting with them.

IMG_2832

Learning to brush his teeth

IMG_2872 IMG_2876

Working on his farming roots – thanks, Debbie Cakes

DSC_0006

Hanging with his buddies Preston and Hudson

IMG_4317

IMG_2778

IMG_2779

DSC_0103

IMG_2818

IMG_2855

IMG_2871

Cade’s monthly photo recap –

Month 1

5Month 2

Month 3

DSC_0222

Month 5

DSC_0763

Month 7

Month 8

DSC_0465

Month 10

DSC_0875

 DSC_0066

To our sweet baby boy – We are so thankful to be your parents and can only imagine the joy you will continue to bring to our lives! We love you Cademan!