My birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, which was such a special treat. I got to do so many things I love on my bday....drink wine, eat as much as humanly possible and be with loved ones!
One thing I neglected to mention in my previous *Thankful* post was how thankful I am for my incredible In Laws! How lucky am I! Not only did I marry the coolest person on the planet, but I was blessed enough to marry into incredible family!
We spent Thanksgiving at Aunt Gloria and Uncle Larry's gorgeous house up in the mountains in a place called Allens Park. Their house is absolutely beautiful and the view is just amazing! It was unbelievably COLD, it was around 10 degrees and the wind chill took your breath away, but after a glass of wine or two all was good.
Here are some fun pics from the day!
~posing with his buddy jack.
~bumps with TT Suz
~not too excited about the hot tub in 8 degree weather.
~say cheese mamaw!
~the sexton boys
random sweet video...I love his little high fives he gives to everyone.
kaden was so excited about the hot tub, until he got in, and then I suddenly felt like an abusive parent.
Poppy and LaLa came to visit us last weekend and we had such a wonderful time! Kaden got to do some much needed bonding and we had a blast showing them our new stomping grounds. Having them here made me ache for a visit back to New York...definitely starting to make plans for early in the new year! Loooooong overdue!
I was a little bummed that we were having gorgeous weather up until the day they got here, complete with colorful fall leaves and 70 degree weather. the day before they arrived, it seems all the leaves fell and turned all winter-like gloomy, and it snowed. We wanted took them up to this sweet place in the middle of nowhere up in the mountains...Bucksnort Saloon. It is a complete hole in the wall, but has the most amazing burgers and incredible scenery.
~I love this pic of kaden struggling to get up the big hill to the Bucksnort, he's so focused!
~Uncle Bri got this sweet shirt.
~Poppy and LaLa.
Afterward, we went back to Mamaw and Papaws for dinner! Mamaw made the most amazing lasagna and Kaden had a blast showing them all of his favorite things.
~showing off his *skillz* for Poppy and LaLa.
~breaking in his new shovel at mamaw's house.
~playing with Poppy.
The next day, we ventured up to Red Rocks to explore. It was absolutely freezing! I had been there once before years ago with Chad, but this time, it was a wee bit different carrying a 25 pound little man up those 9 million stairs. Thank goodness for Poppy! Definitely an amazing workout.
~jammin on the drums with Poppy inside Red Rocks Museum.
~Kaden was smitten with Poppy's ginormous rental...
"hey can I drive for a while?"
We found this adorable little restaurant called Madison Street for their last night here, and had a wonderful dinner! Lots of love and laughs.
~kaden was dying to try Fat Tire.
~kaden the "entertainer"...always trying to make everyone laugh! We love you Poppy and LaLa!!!
I feel so blessed to have a husband that stands up for what he feels is right and is not afraid to be an individual. I have overheard people commenting on his new hairdo and I am amazed at what I have heard, it says so much about where we are as a society. Women dye their hair every color possible, have botox and work incredibly hard to look just like the airbrushed cover of a magazine, yet a man dying his hair with a temporary haircolor is completely outrageous.
One of the most important values I believe we can pass along to our children is the value of diversity. What better way to develop an appreciation for diversity than through exposure. My hope is that he can learn to connect with people on a deeper level and not be presumptuous of the *outside package*, as my sweet mother used to say. The differences among us truly need to be celebrated, and not frowned upon because they don't fit into the *status quo*.
My wish is for my little man to be inspired by his incredibly genuine and amazing daddy and to accept himself and others for all of their beautiful colors, shapes, sizes and circumstances. Tolerance is the key to love in my book.
As I always mention at the start of your happy birthday letters....how are you ALMOST TWO?????!!!! It seems like just yesterday you were a tiny nugget, and now you are truly a little BOY. I struggle to remember those first moments of gazing and the way you felt in my arms. Now I notice the way I am completely out of breath and panting heavily after I've carried you up three flights of stairs.
You are by far, the coolest kid I know. You have this communicating thing DOWN, and i LOVE chatting with you! Your favorite word is *dere* and it seems to mean "this one" or "that one". You say it all the time, and you sound ridiculously sweet. You love to talk in two and sometimes three word sentences, and there is still that dramatic pause between words. so sweet! you amaze me with your incredible little memory...you will mention things we saw days ago, and most of them I will already have forgotten.
You are so caring and compassionate. Whenever someone is crying or sad, you always make sure to go over and check on them. Sometimes you get super empathetic and just start bawling too!
You absolutely got the artist gene from your amazing daddy. You love to color and LOVE the drums (ummmm, how could you not? There is an arsenal of drum equipment in the house), guitar, bass, piano, and you love to color and create stuff. I have introduced fingerpaint to you a bunch, but you just love to have it poured out on the paper...you're not a fan of the actual painting. And because you are such an artist, you have taste, and NO time for mommy's singing voice. No matter what song I sing...you say NO! You love to JUMP and throw and kick balls around the house, outside, in the car...wherever!
You love to test limits, especially with mommy! Daddy says I need to be firmer, but yeah we both know that is highly unlikely. Your tantrums have gotten a little longer and a bit more unbearable, but mommy and daddy know that is par for the course.
Daycare continues to be a struggle. It has been almost a month now, and you still don't like it very much when we drop you off. When we pick you up, you always tell us about the fun that you had, so we know that you are not completely miserable there! Mommy has started to look into other options for when you hit the two year old mark...so many more options for you then!
you are an absolute joy sweet boy!
I feel so blessed to be your mommy.
I love you! love, your mommy
"tack-down" or another word for *tackle*. Possibly your 2nd favorite word.
