Memorial Day Fun

We're usually gone this weekend on our anniversary trip, but this year we're going a different weekend, so we had to figure out what to do with ourselves on Memorial Day.
We ended up taking a hike through the woods of Hoffmaster with a friend and spent some time on the beach.
Then we threw some meat on the grill and added a couple more friends to the festivities. It was a fun day!

We didn't get too far with this set up,

but yes, the dog did get to ride shot gun.

Which left Ben and I packed in like sardines in the back with Caedmon.

The crew

Caedmon fussed most of the way back and when we finally decided to take him out of the backpack and carry him the rest of the way, he was out in 30 seconds.

Back home enjoying the back yard - it was a lot warmer here than at the lake!

Just the Two of Us

Caedmon and I took a walk on the Grand Haven Pier Sunday afternoon.(Corey was up north.) On our walk back to the car, we stopped to play in the sand. This was a first for Caedmon and he liked it! It was fun to watch him with his new discovery!

Blessed

I arrived home from work tonight and my husband took off refusing to tell me where in the world he was going! He returned 15 minutes later with a Mocha Frappuccino from Barnes & Noble/Starbucks Cafe, for me! I was touched...and definitely enjoyed the treat!:)

We will be married 4 years next Thursday. The other night, we were reminiscing about the past four years and Corey asked me which one has been the best. I told him this year was the best in my mind. He reminded me of all the unpleasant things that have happened this year, and I said, yeah, I know, but I still think it's the best, perhaps because we've grown closer through all the trials. And you can't forget that Caedmon came into this world this year!

I returned the question and he had the same answer.

Regardless of what happens around us or even to us, we have each other and we couldn't ask for more! We are blessed...truly blessed!

My Little Love

My little love,

Absence must make the heart grow fonder! Some of my favorite moments with you are seeing you after we've been apart for awhile!

I absolutely love coming to get you from your crib in the morning when you've woken up happy and you are content to lay in your crib observing your room...or kicking the mess out of your mattress.:) You get soo excited when you see me!

I also love coming home from work at the end of the day! That first glimpse you have of me and your face breaks out in the biggest smile! And now you put your hands out and lean toward me. I could not feel more loved!

You bring me so much joy! I cannot imagine life without you!

As you continue to grow, you'll change, and I'll miss your looks of absolute adoration.(O.k., so maybe I'm just the food source, but I hope I'm more.:)) Hopefully you'll still be in love with your mama - just showing it in different ways.:)

I love you so much little love!

Sunday Afternoon Stroll

Well, it wasn't exactly a stroll.:)

We had to be out of the house this afternoon for an open house our realtor set up. We decided to pack a picnic lunch and take a walk through the woods at a state park close by.

We were able to do this with Caedmon thanks to my garage sale purchase of a backpack carrier yesterday. (I just happened to mention to a friend that I was looking for one, and a co-worker of hers had just happened to tell her about one she'd seen at a garage sale that day! Perhaps it didn't "just happen.":) )

Anyway, it was a lovely afternoon and we thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and the family time! Well, Caedmon might not have enjoyed it quite as much as we did.

Lunch

It was a pretty chilly day and all I had were socks for Caedmon's hands.

Taking a break - it was Caedmon's turn to eat lunch.

Yes, this was his facial expression a good chunk of the walk.

Wasn't so sure about this new experience.

I took a turn right near the end.

Surprisingly, it was more of a workout for my legs than anything else.

Fun with Friends

This past weekend, I went garage saleing with some dear friends. We had a blast, just hanging out together. They catered to me in that we went to garage sales with baby stuff. Thanks guys! (My next post will show off my exciting purchase of the day.)

This dear friend watches my son a few hours a week while Corey teaches a Bible class. I'm so very thankful for her! I know Caedmon has great fun when they're together!

Here's a couple pics from Saturday, after our garage saleing adventures.

We're so blessed to be so well loved!

Dedication Weekend

This weekend found us making the trek up north again. Saturday night would be Caedmon's dedication service. Neither of our families were able to be there, but a dear friend from Fruitport drove up and another dear friend from Gaylord drove over.

We arrived in TC and went directly to Biggby, a favorite coffee shop.

We ate at Mongolian Barbecue.
Ben presented Caedmon with a book he wrote for him.
Thank you Ben! What an honor!
(Mommy took the book while Caedmon had fun with the packaging!)

We were asked to say a few words about parenting,
Caedmon was given his first Bible,
and Dr. Ken Wilson prayed for us.
Our attempt at a family picture.
It's more of a feat to get Corey to look and smile than Caedmon,
so we'll forgive Caedmon for not looking this time.

The ride home. It was a fun weekend.
We're looking forward to being up there more permanently,
but will miss terribly our friends down state!

Mother's Day:)

My husband made my first Mother's Day quite memorable! He had me looking outside for the dog and this is what I found! The cards brought tears to my eyes! It was a wonderful surprise!

Thank you , my love, for honoring me!

Becoming a mother has been a lifelong dream of mine, but I couldn't have imagined the indescribable reality of it! What a gift motherhood is! Thank you, Father, for such a blessing as this! Thank you for my Caedmon! And yes, thank you for my Corey!

Brush Those Teeth!

I haven't been a very good mother as far as cleaning my little boy's teeth goes. I tried back when he got his first two teeth, but he did not like the tooth brush at all. So the other day, he was in the sling and I was brushing my teeth, and I thought perhaps if he could share the experience with mommy, he might want to brush his teeth. It seemed to work!


Oh, and by the way, we now have 4 teeth up top that have cut through...for a total of 6!

Blowing Bubbles, aka Spitting

Gettin' Around

Caedmon has finally started rolling over more than just once or once in a while! He's been rolling over for months now, but not all the time, and only when he felt like putting any effort into the activity. Now when we put him down, more often than not, he doesn't stay in one spot for long. It's fun to watch him roll around the living room. Better start vacuuming more often, or he'll be cleaning my floors with his clothing!:/

Ooooo, toys!
(Yes, I "staged" them, hoping he'd roll towards them.)

He did it!
(Foot resting on book case.:))

Restaurant Fun

Last week (yeah, I know, it's been awhile) we took some friends out for supper. Kathy's been watching Caedmon for us a couple times a week while Corey teaches a Bible class.(THANK YOU!) We took them to The Sardine Room, a favorite spot of ours. We finally decided to try the high chair. Caedmon's still not sitting up on his own, and he's always leaning, but we decided to try it. He did quite well, but still ended up in mommy and daddy's arms about halfway through.

Don't we look like a big boy!

Grabbing anything in our reach is our favorite thing to do!
Yes, the silverware went crashing to the floor.

The "lean"