Dearest Caden,
I cannot believe you are already three. Everyone was right when they said these first few years really fly by. You are one amazing, talented, handsome, and smart boy. This past year you have matured and grown so much. When we go to the doctor for your 3-year check-up I will write your stats then.
I wanted to start making new birthday traditions now that we're back in the States. Yesterday I cut out a lot of "3s" from construction paper and hung them on some string. Last night while you were sleeping, Daddy and I went in your room and hung them from the ceiling. We also hung streamers from your door and blew up lots of balloons and put them all over your floor. You loved it!
This past year you have gone through a lot of major changes. The biggest was the overseas move from Germany. Considering everything, you have been a real trooper. I've been amazed at how well you remember so many of your friends in Germany and still talk about them off and on. I think that is a great characteristic to have, never forget your friends. You are making new friends in Texas as well. At first you are a little reserved when you meet new people, you like to sit back and study them. But it doesn't take long before you jump right in and join the other kids. You in fact love people of all ages. You have really enjoyed living closer to your grandparents, Opa and Grand-Cathy. Although you talk about Nene and Granddad often and about how much you like going to their house.
This year for your birthday we threw you a party at Chuck E Cheese's. You and your friends had a lot of fun! The kids who came were: Levi and Joel B., Ryan C., Naomi K., Emily, Abby, and Samantha P. The adults were: Aunt Michelle, Opa, Grand Cathy, G. Aunt Karen, Audra, G. Grandmother Charlene, and G. Uncle Butch as well as your mom and dad. Nene and Granddad wished they could have come.
A Little Bit About You
You have a vivid imagination. You come up with some cute stories and are constantly entertaining your parents. Recently you were pretending to make hot sauce upstairs (you used sticks and other toys for the hot sauce, which by the way, you LOVE hot sauce). Then you said there was a fire on the slide and it was very hot. So you had to jump over the fire. I love hearing you play with your cars, legos, and trains. You also pretend objects are certain things, for example, today you got in a box and said, "I'm going to drive this car. Uh oh, this car needs wheels. I'm going to get some wheels for this car so I can go." You looked down at the box and then went off to find some wheels.
You are very persistant. For example, you will ask for something such as candy. I will tell you, "not now, maybe later." You will respond, "it's already later. It's time for candy." By the way, candy is rather new, you had your first piece last Halloween and part of me wishes we would not have let you have some then. You have quite a sweet tooth!
You can now get dressed by yourself, although most of the time I still help you. Mainly because you'd rather not wear anything! Or you will want to play and put your shirt on as shorts and then put your shorts on your head and then run around laughing about it.
You are very independent! You have always wanted to do things your way, such as climbing up the slide and walking down the steps rather than going the common way down a slide. Or taking off to the park down the street in Germany when you were 18 months old by yourself. Also, not too long after we moved into our new house in Texas, you decided you could make breakfast all by yourself. There were a few days I caught you in action, either getting the cereal out, climbing on the counters to get a bowl, or with a waffle in your hand from the freezer trying to reach the toaster. Sooner than we want, you'll be able to do these things yourself. But for now I still enjoy fixing your breakfast. :) I hope you always keep your independence, it's such a wonderful quality to have, even if it makes life on Mom and Dad a little harder. You just keep us on our toes!
You have a great sense of humor. One night you took your sheets off of your bed, turned on your lamp, and put it on your bed and was playing with your trains. It was 11:30pm, time for bed. You said, "Caden is sitting on a big white bed with a hot lamp. Caden made a big mess on the floor, that is not good!"
Overall bedtime is not a big battle because you are so tired. Although, if you could, you'd rather stay up all night. But since you gave up naps at a very young age, bedtime is quite early for you. We try and have you in bed by 7:30pm. You are usually awake by 7am, sometimes earlier, and rarely a little later.
Some of your favorite toys are play doh, trains, tools like Daddy's, anything that has to do with water, legos, and bubbles. You now love swimming and getting in pools. This is a huge change for you. You even jumped off the small diving board at Burger's Lake last weekend! You love playing outside and enjoy your trampoline, log cabin, car, swing set, and bike.
We have to always keep an eye on you. You are quick and very active. I wish I could say you had a favorite TV show but you don't want to sit still long enough to watch anything. Occassionally you'll watch 5 minutes of Word World, Veggie Tales, or Hermie and Friends. But usually you're ready to do something else. The only time I can get you to sit still is if we're reading, you love hearing stories, coloring, playing with play doh, or doing something like that. You'll also sit and play with your trains and legos for quite a while when you're working on a master piece.
Daddy and I think you will be reading short books by the time you're 4. You have a huge vocabulary and have a lot of books memorized. You also know how to spell a good number of words and are starting to sound words out. You are also very good at counting and love to count just about anything.
You love singing and are even starting to sing new songs at church. Sometimes at church you pick out a phrase and sing it over and over but at least we know you're listening. You also enjoy singing songs at home and in the car.
Your favorite foods right now are anything sweet! You'll say, "Caden has to eat his food and then he can have dessert" almost every day! Sometimes your dessert is fruit, sometimes it's a little treat like frozen yogurt or cake.
Caden, we love you so much! We hope you had a wonderful 3rd birthday. We look forward to many more birthdays to come! Here are some pictures from your fun day!! Love, Mom and Dad
I still remember when 30 was old...no but seriously, I do remember. Now that I'm here, it doesn't seem so old. Back when I was 19, I never would have dreamed how my 20s would turn out. Collin and I love traveling and my favorite vacation spot is the beach somewhere. We were going to go to the coast for my 30th but with some unexpected bills that came up and the fact it's high season, we decided we needed to stay close to home. On my birthday he took the day off. My sister and her husband brought us breakfast on their way out of town. Then Collin and I went through boxes, yes, we're still not unpacked from our move, and took a load to donate. Then we went to lunch at a yummy French restaurant, then to the mall to get a few new things, and then drove around town with Caden with a stop at Lowes and the grocery store. We ended up getting dinner to-go because Caden was pretty tired. And if you have kids, you know it's sometimes not worth fighting a tired child and eating out. So we got some take-out and went home. Collin and Caden bought me a delicious chocolate cake and Marble Slab ice cream for dessert. 
Collin planned a little party at Burger's Lake today so I could enjoy some sand and water. We had a great time. My brother and his fiancee came and so did my friend Loni and her daughers. Thank you Collin and Caden for a wonderful birthday!!
- married Collin! :)
- gave birth to the most amazing son in the world!
Overall my 20s were wonderful. May my 30s be ever more so. There were lots of good times including traveling to see family, friends, and new places. We had several life changing events: two overseas moves, a child, multiple miscarriages, and experiences that have changed us forever. While we're still getting over the fact we no longer live in Germany, we are enjoying our new chapter back in the States. In my 20s I traveled a lot. Collin and I (Caden went with us to some of these places) visited 21 countries in Europe, 4 countries in Central America, and 10 States in the U.S. I don't know if we'll travel quite as much during my 30s, but I hope so. Most likely we'll explore more of the U.S. 
