21 Months of Fun!

I can hardly believe Caden is 21 months old.  In just three short months he will be two!  We need to start planning his 2nd birthday party.  I have been thinking about it off and on for the past few months.  I like to plan ahead!

This is a few days late because Caden has been pretty sick.  We took him to the children's hospital Monday night where we spent 4.5 hours.  He has a viral infection with a temperature above 104. Last night it was 104.9.  Yikes!!  He has also not been able to hold anything down and has not been very hungry or thirsty.  Collin is also sick so it's been tiring taking care of everyone.  Today has been better but the boys are not over their illnesses yet.  Prayers would be appreciated.

Caden is growing and learning so much.  He is such a joy to have.  This past month he has started putting more words together, says "please" and "thank you" regularly, is able to distinguish several opposites, such as up and down, in and out.  He will stand and say "up" then squat and say "down."  Then he'll say "go upstairs" or "go downstairs" depending on which one he wants.  When he's done eating he says, "All done.  Get down please." He can count to 15 and has started singing the ABCs.  He even sings the end of the song, "now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me."  He sings it at the most random time sometimes.  He also loves spelling his name with his alphabet puzzle and seeing me write it.  I have not worked on many new words this past month because I want to start teaching him phonics but don't want to start too early.  I want learning to be fun and not forced, just natural.  That being said, he is naturally picking up many new words from our conversations and from some places we don't even know.  Collin and I will turn to each other and say, "did you teach him that?" 

He loves to label things.  Caden will go around a room and point or touch an object and name it.  The wall, couch, chair, piano, stairs, door, etc.  He does this with things outside too, such as puppy, bike, car, tree, etc.  Collin is teaching him words in other languages once he knows that Caden has the word solidly down in English.

He only takes a nap 2-3 times a week.  I have decided not to force the nap issue anymore.  Somedays I can tell he needs one so he gets one.  Other days he just gets quiet time for 45 minutes to an hour while I get things done around the house.  We just got back from a marriage retreat in Garmisch and the boy did not nap at all in the car on the way there or back.  It was a 4 hour drive each way.  I don't know if not napping is genetic but it seems like he is afraid he is going to miss something.  Thankfully when he doesn't nap he sleeps great at night and is usually asleep by 7-7:15.  When he takes a nap, it takes him longer to fall asleep at night and will sometimes stay awake until 9pm. 

Caden is a very social guy.  When he walks into a room with other kids he cheerfully yells out "Hi!" as he smiles and walks over to the other kids.  He loves playing with friends and will ask for them by name when they are not around. 

He is not a fan of slides.  This past month he has developed a fear of slides and heights.  Thankfully he still loves going to the park and is interested in climbing up to the slide.  However, once we are up there he freaks out and doesn't want to slide down.  I take him to a place called Jump Inn a wonderful indoor play ground with lots of slides, a huge jungle gym, bounce houses, and trampolines.  He would be happy staying on the ground watching everyone else climb and jump then do it himself.  The other week he thought it would be fun to climb in the small soccor field and get in the middle of the a soccor game.  He did not succeed because the kids were a lot bigger than he and I wasn't going to let him go there.  I just try and encourage him and take him down the big slides with me.  Hopefully this is just a stage.

Something we are having difficulty with is childcare.  This is probably common with other children who do not attend daycare.  However, I do attend a ladies' Bible study and MOPS at the military chapel 1-2 times a week.  Caden cries and screams when I arrive.  He has never liked going.  When I walk in the door he starts saying, "Mommy, no, no, up, pick up please" wanting me to pick him up and not leave him.  However, recently when he gets really upset he throws up.  Last week he threw up within 5 minutes of me leaving him.  I am not a fan of sneaking out because he's smart and I don't want him thinking I have to sneak away so I always say bye and tell him I'll be back.  When he went to childcare Friday night at the retreat he did the same thing.  Thankfully he made it almost 2 hours before he started crying and threw up. He was actually very excited to go to this place.  Ironically, he has never thrown up going to Sunday School class and cries when it's time to leave. (yay Church and great teachers!)  So, childcare in general doesn't seem to be a problem.

Another challenge is discipline.  We want to raise a healthy, happy, confident, and well-behaved boy.  We know that children need guidance and correction to keep moving in the right direction.  But boy, what a mine field of a topic!  Many people are so passionate about vastly differing methods of discipline even to the point of changing laws to reflect their opinions.  So, we're talking to family and friends about the topic and have begun to read a couple of books to think through the issues. Thankfully he is a pretty easy going guy and minds us most of the time but we want to be prepared.

Do any of you have any good resources that you would recommend for child discipline?  Please send us an email or leave a comment below.

Our handsome man!

German Music Class

I took Caden to his first music class today.  It is a German mom and tots class.  We were the only Americans and the only English speakers that I could tell except for the teacher.  Caden was a little hessitant at first.  After a while he seemed to really like it. 

Mostly the kids sat in their parent's lap.  The teacher first went around the room and we introduced ourselves and after each child said their name we sang a song and either clapped our hands, stomped our feet, or patted our knees.  She held a puppet that danced while doing this.  Then we sang some songs, I did not know any of them. Then each child and parent got two sticks.  We sang a song and tapped our sticks together while saying "tap, tap, tap."  That was one of the few words in the songs I fully understood.  Then the teacher played a a little drum and sang a song.  Then each child was either a "bear" or a "mouse" and tapped the drum as we sang a song.  Next we got scarfs and danced.  Last we walked in a circle and sang a song.  It was neat.  There were about 12-14 kids in the class. 

I know the teacher which is how I found out about the class.  She did a great job.  Today was free to check it out.  I'm signing Caden up and we have 10 more classes.  I didn't take any pictures because unlike Americans, Germans don't seem to walk around with their cameras.  Ha.  I remember taking Caden to his American gymnastics class and almost everyone of the parents there had their cameras with them.  I did not see one camera out today.  Which is sad but I think it's okay to not have a picture of everything.  However, before the classes are all over I hope to get at least one picture of him there.

By the way, tonight at dinner he took his fork and sang, "tap, tap, tap."  He's so cute.

Indoor Winter Fun!

It is still winter in Germany.  We have been blessed with more sunshine than usual the past few weeks which has been great.  The Texan in me still gets a little confused.  I see the sun and think it's hot outside so I end up not wearing a heavy enough jacket and have to go back inside and get a different one.  My other southern friends end up doing the same thing.

Hopefully our snow days are over and we can continue to enjoy doing things outside.  But until the weather gets a little warmer it is easier to do things inside.  Several of my friends and I have been looking for indoor things to do.  We all get very stir crazy staying inside our homes.  Thankfully most people don't live more than about 15 minutes away and many closer than that, so it is very easy to visit one another.

Last Saturday my friend LeeAnn suggested that we go bowling.  Her son, Nate, is about one year older than Caden and has gone several times before.  I was wondering if Caden would be too young.  It ended up that he's not and he had a great time and so did the adults.  We went with our friends the Finchams and Millers.  We all have one boy.  So the adults had one lane and the kids another.  Caden ended up having the highest score.  The kids' lane had a ramp and bumpers which made it super easy for them.  There is also an indoor play gym at the bowling alley so that is something to consider going to even if we don't end up bowling.

Wednesday LeeAnn and I decided to go to Luisenpark.  I bought season passes last year and went ahead and bought them again this year.  My friend, Kaye, told me that January through March there is an indoor Spielplatz (playground).  It was really nice.  Caden had fun and even helped himself to a shovel of sand in which he did not like.  The playground is located inside an atrium.  On the way to the playground you pass several plants and animals.  We had a great time.  Luisenpark is one of my family parks in Germany.  It is huge!  When the weather is nice there are a lot of different playgrounds outside, also a petting zoo, a river with boats to ride, and several beautiful gardens to explore.  LeeAnn bought a season pass too so we will probably visit a lot this year.  Also she just moved to my town.  It is awesome having a friend within walking distance to where you live. 

I'm helping Caden bowl his first time.

First time to bowl and Caden got a strike!

Daddy and Caden bowling.

Somebody ran down another bowling lane and this Mom had to rescue him.

Matthew, Nate, and Caden

Indoor Spielplatz at Luisenpark.  Caden attempting to climb the rope ladder.
This indoor playground even has trees.  Very cool!

Caden and Nate in one of the houses.

Look at all those cactuses.  Reminds me of Texas. 
Germans don't tend to rope anything off so a child could easily walk right into them. 
Thankfully Caden and Nate didn't even try.

Happy Birthday Collin!

Today is the love of my life's birthday.  I thank God everyday for bringing Collin and I together.  He is my best friend and the best dad to Caden.  Before we started dating I remember thinking to myself, I really want to marry this man!  If I don't marry him then I hope I can find someone like him.  God answered my prayer and Collin and I have been married for 7 years.  Collin is not only Christ-like but also funny, loyal, smart, handsome, a hard worker, respectful, a great leader, provider, protector, super dad, my husband and best friend.

Today holds another important day for us.  We started dating on his birthday 8 years ago.  So this is also our dating anniversary.  In honor of Collin's birthday here are a few pictures from our early days together, ending with a few recent ones.  Happy birthday Collin!  Thank you Jim and Reba for raising such a wonderful man!  I know many of his good qualities came directly from you two.

First picture together in 2003

White Rose Ball, Austin, TX

College Senior Banquet, 2004

Day Trip to Hamilton Pool - Austin, TX (college days)

My parents at our engagement party

Engagement Picture

Just married!

Newly married, at our first apartment - look how young we were!



Dinner at Joe's Crab Shack in San Marcos, TX - nice view of San Marcos River

Oasis Restaurant in Austin, TX - great restaurant on Lake Travis

Atlanta, Georgia - one of our first family vacations

Collin and his parents on Mother's Day in 2006

Collin and Mali, our first dog - what a sweet pup she was!

Collin and 1 month old Caden in The Netherlands

Collin and Caden almost 20 months at a castle in Selestat, France

20 Months Old!

He actually smiled for me when I said, "smile!"

Today Caden is 20 months old.  He continues to grow and learn on a daily basis.  I think we are going to have a young reader on our hands.  The first exciting thing is Caden can spell his name!  A few weeks ago he started taking puzzle pieces and spelling his name.  I would ask him what it said and he'd say, "Caden."  Then I would ask him, "how do you spell Caden?"  He will say, "C-A-D-E-N."  So a little over a week ago I thought I would start putting a few letters together and teach him words.  He seems to love putting three letters together so I thought I would start there.  The first word he knew was "zoo."  Besides Caden and zoo, he can spell CAT, AT, and DOG.  I am amazed.  I know it is most likely just rote memorization but I am amazed how easily he memorizes things.  The alphabet puzzle has been a huge educational tool.  As he is able to put letters together to spell words and show me what he knows.  I finally bought another alphabet puzzle with upper and lower case letters so he could learn lower case letters too.  When I gave it to him he was busy with it for a good 20 minutes.  Then we had to leave or he probably would have played with it longer.  We have been so busy this last week we have not had time to work on many new words.  Plus I don't want to push reading.  It has also been pretty nice outside, by that I mean the sun is out and it's in the 40s, so we go to the park and take walks.  He always wants to be outside and once we're outside he usually has a fit on our way back inside.  Those 2s are coming early.

Caden's vocabulary continues to grow.  He is putting together short sentences and vocalizing his wants and needs.  He also has quite the appetite.  Almost every morning I hear him wake up and say, "Mommy, eat!  Eat, eat....Mommy?"  Then when I open his door he says, "Hi!  Mommy, good morning!  Open window. Eat!"  This happens pretty much everyday.  He knows up from down and will say, "go upstairs, go downstairs."  He will also squat and say, "down" then push himself up and say, "up."  He loves going around labeling everything in our house.  He also seems to "talk" nonstop in the car.  He looks for birds, dogs, trees, cars, trucks, horses, letters, shapes, colors, and other things he knows. 

Physically he still loves to dance, run, and can now jump without holding onto anything.  He used to jump in his jumper as a baby but once he started walking I didn't let him jump in it anymore. Also he went through a stage of constantly wanting to jump on his bed.  But jumping freely is new.

Socially Caden is one of the happiest kids I know. When ever Caden sees another young kid he typically squeals really loud, runs over to them smiling, and laughing. It is fun to watch him look for other young kids when we go places. We went to France yesterday and were exploring a castle. When we finally ran into some kids, he was so happy and ran over to them. They were speaking French to him and he loved it. Not even language gets in his way from wanting to be around other kids. He is a social butterfly just like his mom and dad.

He can now distinguish several colors.  He recognizes blue, green, white, gray, purple, black, brown, yellow, orange, and red about 85% of the time.  Meaning he recognizes most shades of those colors.  He calls a light pink, pink, but a dark pink still looks red to him until I point out the color red in something else to him.  I honestly was worried about him being color blind because a few months ago when I would ask him what color something was he always said, "blue."  Then when I was researching color recognition I read somewhere that most kids can't distinguish colors until they are 3.  I'm not sure if that is true or people just don't teach them.  My Slovakian neighbor said she never even thought to teach her daughter at this age the things I teach Caden.  So I'm not sure which it is.

Another pretty cool thing he does is tell us what color the light is.  I probably read WAY too many parenting books and so therefore I am always talking to him and labeling things like many books recommend.  Anyway, he knows red light from green light.  He loves to tell us "red light" and when it turns to green he says, "greeeen!"  He also will say, "red light, stop" and "green light, gooooo."

Caden also loves to color. He colors almost everyday. The first two crayons he picks up are the blue and white crayon. I'm not sure why he likes drawing with the white one because he's drawing on white paper and it barely shows up. But he immediately grabs those two crayons first and says, "white, blue" and then colors.

His pronounciation is pretty clear.  He mispronounces some words but once you say it right he quickly repeats it.  Some German words are a little difficult for him to say but I think in a year he will speak German a lot more clearly than I do.  Collin has been teaching him Spanish too.  Some of his favorite books are picture dictionaries.  We have them in English, German, Spanish, and French.  Honestly those are my least favorite books to read to him. 

Caden is definitely a thinker.  He likes to get things right.  We have several shape sorters and he will only put the shapes in the correct slot.  One of his friends was over the other day.  He put a rectangle block through the square slot.  Caden removed the lid, took out the block, and put it through the rectangle slot.  I think he takes after his dad on being very detail-oriented.

Caden's brain is a sponge, he remembers people's names, will tell me what he wants to eat and does not want to eat.  We are working on consequences.  For example, the other day he decided to throw his peas on the floor.  So I asked him to pick up all his peas.  I had a bowl for him to put the peas in and he did it.  Sadly I think he enjoyed his consequence. 

Another new thing we are sort of working on is potty training.  He has peed in the potty a few times, yay! Last week he went and sat on his little potty with his diaper on and pooped.  I was so proud and part of me sadly was relieved he had a diaper on so it made clean up easy.  We are slowly transitioning to potty training.  It seems like many Europeans think we are not quick enough but I think the average age for American kids is now 3.5 years.  So I think we're doing pretty good.  I would love for him to be day time trained by his 2nd birthday, but I'm not going to be real pushy if he's not.

Overall he is still a pretty easy going and happy guy.  As long as he's not too hungry, tired, and his diaper is not dirty.  He also is back to taking and needing a daily nap, usually he'll nap for about 2 hours which is a much needed break for his mommy.

Our Road in Germany Continues

First of all God is awesome!  I cannot tell you how many times I have prayed and God answered.  Last December Collin was offered a job in Fort Worth.  We prayed a lot about it and accepted it even though we were uncertain if the time was right for us to return home.   I specifically asked God that if he didn't want us to move back to Texas now then to let Collin be promoted here and make it clear that we needed to stay. And, wouldn't you know it, he has been!  Silly me was doubtful that it would even be possible but God works in miraculous ways.  And a lesson to me is that God listens to my prayers and will answer them - sometimes in ways we don't expect.  This has taught me not to be afraid to pray and ask for specific guidance.

First of all I want to say congratulations to Collin.  He works extremely hard at his job and for our family.  This kind of thing is very rare that he got.  We are both blown away.  I commend his company for this promotion and reconizing the value he brings to his department.  Yet I also truly believe this is an answer to our prayers.  You see, I asked God to show us what He wanted us to do.  I specifically asked him if he wanted us to stay then to show us and let Collin get a promotion.  Well, Collin has, under extordinary terms.  Therefore, I believe God is telling us we need to stay longer in Germany.

This has been a tough decision.  We have not shared this with many people because of the uncertainty of it.  Overall I don't think we could go wrong moving back or staying.  Yet our family and some really great friends are in Texas so it is difficult being away from them.  On the other hand, there are a lot of great reasons to stay longer in Germany.  It has taken me over two years to really realize it but I finally have. 

Anyway, our big news is we are putting our trust in God and deciding to stay in Germany a little longer. 

I am still in shock over this.  In the back of my mind I was mentally prepared to come home.  I had gotten excited and even found a cool historical district to potentially buy a house in.  However, when God answers our prayer, even when we don't think what we are asking for is possible, I feel we need to listen and follow Him.  I'm still not really sure our reason for moving over here was in the first place.  Obviously it's because Collin got a job here and he really loves it.  But I mean beyond that.  What is my role?  I'm still trying to figure that out.

Now for those who were thinking about coming over and thought you didn't have time to plan a trip to Germany, here's your chance to stay at a Gasthaus with lots of Gemütlichkeit.

Something Needs to Change

A few weeks ago we started watching some interesting documentaries on food.  We have seen Food, Inc., The Future of Food, and Killer at Large.  I have always been interested in nutrition and have mostly bought organic foods when I could but up until I watched these documentaries did not realize the big difference between organic and non-organic.  Not to mention how much big companies genetically alter our foods.  The FDA does not mandate that companies label genetically engineered foods and big companies do not want to inform the consumers of this.  Therefore most of what we eat unless it is organic has been genetically engineered.  Something needs to change.

Not only that but the animals we eat are not healthy or active.  I remember going to Dominican Republic for a mission trip and noticing how skinny the cows were.  They lived off the land, they ate grass, not corn.  Of course most of us know that the majority of what we eat is not healthy.  Yet we continue to eat it.  After watching Food, Inc. I was convinced that unless meat is the main or best option for me to eat then I am going to try and avoid it.  If I do cook it I will try and buy organic chicken and beef.  We already buy organic milk and eggs and have for years but finding organic chicken and beef in Germany is challenging.  Thankfully Bio (organic) foods are easily available here.

These movies convinced me that something needs to change; not only culturally but for my immediate family.  One of the ladies who attends PWOC (ladies' Bible study) with me asked me about our diets when Caden and I both were sick.  She has been a vegetarian for several years and since she has stopped eating meat she has rarely even had a cough.  Caden seems to get sick everytime he goes to the childcare group at the chapel.  I told her for the most part we try to eat healthy.  But were we really?  Now I try and serve us at least one serving of vitamin C rich fruit per day, an orange, kiwi, or some berries. The Reformhaus (health food store) down the street gave us some mixed tea to drink every day.  At first we were to drink it 3x a day.  He also gave me and Collin a vitamin C and zinc supplement to take daily.  I don't take the supplement everyday but I try and take it a few times a week.  The Reformhaus is pretty cool.  It is similiar to the health food store my mom used to take us to when we were little.  In the States there's Whole Foods, Central Market, and more.  I'm jealous.  =)  But having a health food store that is only a 5 minute walk from my front door is not too bad and lucky for me the owner speaks a little English.

The biggest change I have made is that I have become a flexitarian, a semi-vegetarian.  Collin has not quite joined me on this adventure yet because he really likes eating meat.  In fact anytime I mention wanting to try to become a vegetarian or something similiar he insists on cooking bacon for breakfast, for himself that is.  Thankfully I don't care for bacon very much.  I am fine with Collin eating how he wants, I am not going to force my decision on anyone.  However, the other night he was feeling sick because of all the junk he ate and admitted to me that I was onto something.  He also enjoys the vegetarian meals I cook.  Sadly he has had to work late every night this week and many nights has missed dinner with us and not come home until after Caden was in bed.  This week has been stressful without him around.  Thankfully I have had several playdates and social outings to keep the days busy.

I have now gone a week without eating meat.  I have gotten plenty of protein through avocados, nuts, eggs, tofu, and other meat substitutes.  Not only that but I have not craved sugary foods as much.  I remember after eating brisket with two vegetables how Collin and I would seem to continue to be hungry.  So we'd eat a pie and ice cream or something similiar later for dessert.  When I cook a balanced vegetarian meal I am fully satisfied.  Which is strange because I'm consuming fewer calories. 

I am not against eating meat or people who eat meat.  Like I said, I will occasionally eat meat and even bought some fish today to cook.  I like the taste of meat which is why I am not able to become a vegetarian.  I am concerned though about the food industry and how 1 in 3 American children are now obese.  There is a strong concern that children born after the year 2000 will have shorter life expectancies than our generation.  I do not want my child to be part of that.  I encourage you to research for yourself and strive to eat as healthy as you can.  Encourage your children to eat healthy.  I struggle with this as Caden half the time doesn't want to eat what we eat.  So I have back up healthy choices such as fruit, yogurt, or whole grains.  I still give him meat a few times a week.  I know it is difficult to find the time to cook but it is worth it.  One thing I have to remind myself is that simple is okay.  Eating fruit and/or veggies, whole grain bread, and cheese for lunch is okay.  For those of you in the States, Amy's frozen meals are a healthier frozen meal alternative.  They are made with organic products and do not include genetically engineered foods.

One more tip that I have found helps us eat more vegetables, especially Caden.  In the morning when I make pancakes I add a vegetable, such as pumpkin or sweet potatoes.  You can usually buy them canned.  Or you can steam a sweet potato or carrots even and then mash them and include it in the batter.  I add cheese to steamed broccoli and brown rice, cheese can help most things taste better.  As you get used to the taste you can start cutting back on the cheese.  I also add flax seed and wheat germ to pancake mix, breads, and muffins.  Kids seem to eat so little so I find it helps to add extra nutrients when I can.  My friend made blueberry muffins today and added shredded carrots.  Caden could not get enough.  I'm going to try that and also shred some zucchini.  Creativity is key.  When you don't feel like baking, whole grain organic cereal is another great choice as is oatmeal.