The Family Get-Away/37th Anniversary Trip

Recently when my husband and I were about to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary, we decided to plan a short get-away trip to the beach. I booked a condo with a romantic view of the ocean. Shortly after, I began to feel guilty for wanting to "get-away" from all of the precious blessings that we have. Consequently, we ended up inviting our two grandchildren and their mothers along to enjoy the beach with us, and they finally agreed to come. Ed and I both agreed afterward, that we were so glad that we'd invited them.

As I sat and watched those two mothers care for their children, it brought back memories. From baths in the kitchen sink to trying to potty train a 2 1/2 year old, it all came back...I even learned some things that I didn't know! I watched as my daughter-in-law fashioned a make-shift highchair out of her leg and fed Caden. I would've never thought of that! I watched as my daughter picked out a sticker book for Madison to put her "reward" stickers in...good idea!

I think we all had a nice time. We enjoyed the beach and we enjoyed each other. It took two cars to carry us and all of our things, but we followed each other and changed riding partners on the trips. We cooked some and we ate out some. We even got in a little bit of shopping...

Madison and Caden are still a little young to interact with each other, but it was a great time to get them used to each other. Ed and I tried to give the moms an occasional break by playing with Madison and Caden some. As usual, he had Madison and I had Caden.

We all agree that Caden is one good baby! He goes with the flow and doesn't complain. The only time he whimpers is when he's hungry or sleepy. A little food or a few lullabys and he's happy again! He never seemed to mind where we were--beach, car, Wal-mart, or the condo...

Madison didn't not like the ocean at all. I think it was a little overwhelming for her. She enjoyed the sand, but didn't care for playing near the water. She was happy most of the time--except for when we wanted to take family pictures! The pictures that we took reflect this! She is a good traveler and didn't complain on the ride going or coming home--which means a lot when riding with with a 2 1/2 year old!

It was a wonderful get-away trip and a very memorable one. These are the times that make getting older worth it! We plan to take another trip in a few weeks and take the fathers along this time--can't wait!

Christmas With Madison

This is how Madison spent the whole day on Christmas... I guess you could say, she slept through Christmas just like a baby...

Unfortunately, Madison had begun to have bad "tummy aches" right before Christmas. We saw this face a lot. Brandy took her to the pediatrician and she prescribed Zantac and Maalox...

"E" and I borrowed Madison from her parents one evening and had fun making pictures! We put this picture in some of our Christmas cards. It was great having a baby in the family again!

"E" surprised me by purchasing this little t-shirt from the hospital gift shop for Madison. I don't remember him ever buying anything like that before, but he said he thought of me when he saw it.

Caden At 1 Month

This is a picture made of Caden when he was about 1 month old. I am holding him. He was such a cutie dressed in his little monkey suit! The hat was especially cute..it had little ears...during the winter and early spring Caden always wore a hat and he had a hat to match every outfit! He was--and still is-- one of the best dressed "little men" that I have ever seen...
Caden had already taken to his pacifier, but didn't seem as attached to it as some babies. He would also try to suck his fist sometimes.
He spent most of the first few weeks of his life right by his mama's side. She had to stay close in case he got hungry, which he frequently did...cause he was a growing boy!