Thankful for Travelers

Boy did we have a wonderful houseful for Thanksgiving! Nothing is more fun than hosting the holidays :) Mimi and Granddaddy drove in from CO while Uncle James arrived by plane. Cousin Lauren, Aunt Bobbye and Lloyd arrived from Dallas. Aunt Sandra and Pete came in from College Station. We were hoping to learn how to cook a turkey, though my dad has tried to teach me before. One year, Ryan and I did a turkey breast but that was only because we didn't have counsel present to teach us how to cook the real thing. This time, they ended up selecting the smoked turkey which is the easier pre-cooked option. It was delicious! I may never do anything but pre-cooked again. We had such fun and are thankful for ALL of our travelers who came many miles to share this special holiday!

Babies Coming Out of Our Ears

I am a bit behind on my blogging due to time management. But I have to comment about our fun visitors last week! Our sweet friends Lindy and Ashley came over to visit Charli Kate, Caden and myself. They brought lunch. This was so appreciated since we haven't been able to get out much while Charlotte awaits her immunizations. We had babies coming out of our ears but "everything seemed sain" (to borrow Lindy's phrase). Lindy's son, Cade and my Caden had so much fun playing together. They had little conversations about taking the "trash out" and watched the "pup-pups" play in the backyard through the window. Aren't they such cute buddies?!

Lindy, below, holding a sleepy Charli Kate. You wouldn't know it to look at her because she is so tiny but she is expecting a baby girl in April - so exciting!!! We could already see that Lindy's Cade will be such a good big brother to sweet Ella Brooke!

Ashley and little Jemma Grace, below. It was the first time that I was able to hold Jemma though we visited her in the hospital on the day she was born. When we arrived that day, she was swept away by the nurse for her first wellness exam with the pediatrician. Jemma is eight weeks old here. See the family resemblance... such beauties!

What a special visit! It really meant so much to us :) Miss and love you guys!

Beary Cute!

What was left of Charlotte's umbilical cord fell off this morning (5 weeks later!). We were thrilled to be able to give her her first bath tonight. When Caden received his first bath, Ryan recorded the event and took pictures. Meanwhile, I bathed Cade. This time, Ryan bathed Charli Kate and I recorded the event. She loved it and it was very special bonding moment for Daddy and Daughter :)

We dressed her in a super-cute bear outfit after the bath. She wouldn't leave Ryan's arms for the rest of the night!

One Month Flies By!

In this picture, Caden and Charlotte had so much fun playing together on their play mat. Cade taught Charli Kate about all of the attached toys. Such a precious pair!

Charlotte is so big, now! She weighs slightly under 10 pounds - what a good eater!!! Charli Kate smiled twice at her mama this morning (not during her sleep). Her little personality peeks through from time to time. She is an angel, so calm and sweet. She is close to sleeping through the night. For several weeks, she has only been waking once during the middle of the night. She is so perfect! We are so happy :)

Birthday Blog

We were able to celebrate Ryan's Mom on Sunday! Joyce's birthday was last week but we were all able to get together for lunch and cake this weekend. Our camera has been on the fritz so we only have couple of pics of the celebration. They have a Power Wheels John Deere truck. Cade loved driving the it around in the backyard before lunch and after cake! Happy Birthday, Mom/G'ma!!!

Best Buds :)

Saturday Blur

Saturday, I attended a surprise baby shower for our sweet friend Vanette. She is expecting her second little girl in December. Her daughters will have about the same difference in age as Cade and Charli Kate. We are SO excited for their growing family!

Also on Saturday, we had some friends from our Bible Study, bring us food. They are the last of many couples to visit over the past two weeks. We have been so appreciative of the generosity these friends have provided. They have shared so much time and energy. Thank you so much for your love and support! Your visits have been so encouraging :)

Sweet Charli Kate

Mommy-time with Cade

Sandra's Aggie Ring Day!

Dad was allowed to present Sandra Ruth's Aggie Ring last Friday. She was so excited to have achieved senior status! We are super proud of her accomplishments and wish her much fun during her last two semesters at A&M!

Cade loved running around campus. After the ring presentation and playing outside, we had dinner at Frederico's and desert at Spoons. So yummy!

Babies!

Last week, Dad came for a short visit to help out with the kiddos and see Sandra receive her Aggie Ring. Mom sent Dad with a couple of baby dolls for Cade because he has recently shown interest in caring for babies ;)

"Babies!"

"Kiiiiiiiiiiiissssss!"

Snoozing with the baby...

Daddy's Girl :)

Lost Pics...

Recently, we had our camera serviced and these were the "lost" pictures that showed up when we got our camera back :)

2 Weeks Already?!

Charlotte had her wellness exam and newborn photo shoot early this week. She weighed in at 7 lbs and 12 oz - which it great for her growth and wellbeing. But so sad because she will only be able to wear her newborn clothes for a couple more days, if that! And that means she is already growing up... I clearly remember her delivery (surgery was much easier the second time around for those who were wondering), only 15 days ago, and then mistakenly I blinked. We will blink once more and she will be running around and talking, just like big-brother Cade whom is already speaking with pronouns in his common two and three word phrases! "I patient!" is his new thing :)

We are LOVING our family of four and our experience, thus far, is that two are easier than one?! Of course, everything takes twice as long at this point but we knew this experience would not come without learning something new!

Cade is still doing very well with Charlotte. He has been very affectionate with HIS baby, mostly pressing his cheek to hers saying, "kiss Cha-Cha" and patting her hands. Today he asked to put "Cha-Cha in swing." He monitored her while she slept in the swing and babbled to her about the rattles that were attached. But I know that he was trying to teach her how to use them! Such a good "big bubba" to his little "sisa!"

1st Official Haircut for Cade

We cut Caden's hair for the first time in July our selves. However, it quickly grew back. In preservation of time and energy, we went to SnipIts for round two. What a cool experience. The children's hair stylist reshaped his hair in a matter of minutes, all the while without shedding a tear! Great experience :)

Before... and after!

Boo-rific Halloween!

We ventured out for Halloween with Caden and Charlotte. Family joined in the fun, too! Our first stop was our Church Festival. Cade wore his Elmo costume and Charli Kate wore her jack'o'lantern onesie. She spent most of the outing in Daddy's arms. While at the festival, all of the kiddos kept approaching Caden to touch "Elmo!" So funny! He LOVED playing in the bouncy, running through bubbles and throwing balls! What an athlete :)

We ended the evening with trick-or-treating. Mommy and Charli Kate weren't able to join Aunt Sasa (Sandra Ruth), Daddy-Daddy (Granddaddy), Da-da and Cade. We were exausted from the fun festival and so sad to miss out on the experience. But they did video tape it - HILARIOUS! Cade said "tri-tree" and "tank-ooo" at almost every home. He also tried to give the candy back saying, "share!" Such a sweet "Melmo!"

Loving Family

Ryan and I were fortunate to have a lot of help over the past 10 days. It took all of 90 seconds after Mimi and Granddaddy (Caden has called him Daddy-daddy during this visit!) left early Sunday morning for me to burst into tears. As I changed Charlotte's diaper with tears streaming down my face, I felt the anxiety wash over my body. This time is much different from when they left three weeks after Caden's birth. Then, we felt nervous and unsure about raising our first baby. Now, we will miss the much appreciated support that they have lovingly and generously given to us over the past many days. It has been a dream-come-true to have them take care of our family while I have recovered from surgery. They did such a wonderful job of managing our household... cooking for my husband and son, taking care of our puppies, laundry, grocery shopping, entertaining and caring for Caden while we bonded with Charlotte in the hospital, the list goes on and on... Many thanks to G'ma and Frank who brought us food while we were in the hospital and cared for Cade! Thank you to Auntie Jen, whom helped also cared for Caden! Thank you to Aunt Sandra, whom was able to practice her nursing skills while caring for my incision and helping me shower ;), upon returning home from the hospital. Thank you to Papa and Pam for the love and support from accross the miles!

Thank you cannot be said enough. We love you and are looking forward to the next time that we see you all :)