My little flirt!

Just had to post on what Kade does when we say "Can you SMILE for mommy/daddy?"This moment is when I realized it is true when they say having kids is SO WORTH IT! What a blessing my little man has been and we truely relish every moment with him.

We love you Kade!

Boating!

Yay! We successfully made it on our first boat outing last Saturday with a 16-1/2 month old! Kade did awesome, here he is w/mommy and daddy in all his boating gear...

We have huge issues with his life jacket, plain and simple~he doesn't like it. The poor kid fell over in his seat and couldn't get up again. He just laid there like a turtle on his back.

But the little sugar addict will do anything for a cookie, so he just laid there and munched while mean 'ole mommy laughed and him and took pictures.

He is not afraid of boating and even didn't mind when we were going fast. His favorite part is driving and waving "HI" to everyone. We need to watch him with an eagle eye as he likes to get up on the seats and try to hang out the side. I sit in the back within arms reach at all times, as he would've easily gone overboard about 600 times if I wasn't pulling him off the sides of the boat-GULP! We were only out a couple of hours so we will see how the rest of the season goes, as we like to stay out most of the day. Chad is having a sun shade made for the boat, so this will work better than our make shift umbrellas last year.

Outside!

Finally!! We've seen that bright yellow thing that hangs out in the sky again, the SUN. This is a very exciting time for us because it is the first time we get to see what Kade does when unleashed in the outdoors.

Well I can tell you the one (and only) thing he does is RUN! I've gotten all kinds of "outdoor toys" to entertain my new marathon runner in training...

Golf?? Seriously Ma...this is for babies!

This wagon is just slow'n me down...

BUT it lasts a milisecond and then he RUNS "wild and free and headed west" (c) CJB. I tried relentlessly to get that perfect shot of him playing nicely outside, but nope just a lot of shots of his butt and a lot of pulling him out of fields and roads. Our yard is about an acre and a quarter and that kid will not stay in it to save his life! Sheesh, how much more room does my wild little buffalo need to roam?

Ok Ma! Here's how its gonna go...I'm gonna turn around now and head out where I shouldn't be, your gonna take pictures and grab me out of mud and dangerous situations...K?

1..2..3..GO!

Ooooh! I'll stop to touch the tree!

Oooh! A field...

Ouch! There are prickerly stalks in there :-(

Kade took a couple of breaks to check out the "outside things" that he has been kept from for the last 16 months!

Oooh, these bushes are lovely!I also like to go on the outside steps!Paaaa! These tires look a little low...My 'lil window peeper!

Well we plan on going to the lake a lot this summer, so fingers crossed that he is as flexible as he was with it last year. We may make our first venture out as early as today yet (not sure). We are really looking forward to watching Kade explore his new surroundings this summer and finding joy in his excitement over the little things. He is still a very good toddler and goes with the flow, we are very lucky!!!

Thank You!

Tonight I am finally done with school and want to Thank all those that have been supportive of me. I have many friends (lotta kollada) and of course my mother who has had the privilage to listen to my non-stop "I hate this" "I can't do this" whining and venting. Thanks so much, the support has made all the difference in the success of my graduation! Thanks also to Schmoobie dog for having my back on a couple of those last minute nasty projects!
**Shout out to Patrice also, I still remember the day we stood in your office and decided to go back and hit the books!

My BIGGEST THANKS goes out to Chad, he truely has been my biggest cheerleader, motivator, and support to Kade while I was gone. While I was doing papers, presentations, studying, and all that jazz...he did all the cooking, cleaning, shopping, organizing, and whatever the heck he did that I wasn't even aware of. In my absense, Chad and Kade have really bonded and become best buds forever. Here are the things they've been up to...

KADE AND DADDY...

Peek A Boo...I love you!

Daddy Kisses!!SOOO BIG!

SNACK TIME...

LOOOOTS OF BOOK READING...

SILLY TIME!
PROOF THAT YOU WILL DO ANYTHING FOR YOUR CHILD!

Again THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me in this long journey. I am so glad to be back and can't wait to be 100% mommy...whoo hoo!

2 More Days!!

Wednesday I take my "FINAL" final and will officially have my MBA! I can now add that to my CPA and "mommy" titles. It has been a long road with lots of blood, sweat, and tears but hopefully worth it. I'm just glad to be able to provide for whatever my 'lil dude needs (ok wants)-ha!
As of Wednesday around 8:00pm or so, I will be FREE...free to think about what to make Kade for suppers, not what paper is due the next day. FREE to take Kade to activities in the evenings and not prepare for presentations. FREE to primp and perfect his outfit for the next day and not study for an exam. FREE to give Kade long baths and lotion him up with the good smelly stuff and not meet with team members on our next project. FREEDOM TO BE A MOM! Dad move on over because its my turn now. I'm sooooooooooo excited and I can't wait to get back some of the sweet and precious time I've lost with him.
He is soooo big already! I will be posting much more often and have lots of pics waiting to be released. He is talking a little bit already and RUNS too. (And becomes a limp screaming noodle of a baby when I try and grab him...but we will touch on that in another post)
During this whole experience, Chad and Kade have been able to bond and become good buddies...so it wasn't all that bad. Timing couldn't be better though for this journey of school to end as Kade is big into the "mommy" stage and doesn't want me to leave. So in 2 days, I say GOODBYE to the education system. I have been hard at it for the last 10 years and look forward to my new goals and priorities...FAMILY! Ok, can't wait to update everyone but I'm off to study one last FINAL time...WHOOO HOOO!