Six Word Saturday..." Caden's Key"

My six words for today are: 

Follow the adventures of "Caden's Key"...

You may be wondering what "Caden's Key" is..."Key" is a tiny, beige, soft blanket, with the upper portion of a monkey's body sewn in the middle of it.  Some people refer to them as "lovies".

Our two-year-old grandson, Caden, has had Key since birth.  He formed an attachment with Key early in life.  Caden especially wants Key with him when he gets tired or sleepy.  When Caden began talking, he couldn't say monkey, so he referred to his friend as, "Key".

It's a good thing that Caden's mother had the foresight to go out and purchase a duplicate "Key" in the early stages of Caden's life--when it became apparent that there was going to be a lasting bond there.  Caden and Key are inseperable, and the two go everywhere together.  As a result, Caden and Key have been on a lot of adventures together--and Key has gotten left behind a time or two!

Key's latest adventure was in our local Alco store.  When Key came up missing, the search was on in Alco!  Christina found Key hiding in the M&M display!  Now how do you suppose he got there???

Caden and Key were at our house for a visit last night--along with Madison and her parents.  It was late when all left to go home.  My husband and I went to bed shortly after everyone left.  This morning when I walked into our pool room, guess what I found on the floor?  You guessed it!  "Key" spent the night with MiMi--again.

Below are a few photos of Caden and Key.  One of them is a picture of Key hiding in the M&M display at Alco!  Aren't camera phones the greatest?  There's no excuse to miss those "Kodak Moments"!

Speaking of Kodak moments, Caden took that first picuture of Key--all by himself!  Not bad for a two-year-old, huh?  I guess he wanted a picture of his best friend...

Thanks to Caden's mom, Christina, for the use of her Facebook photos.  They're all "keepers"!

The Word Patrol...

These are tough times that we are living in!  Nothing seems to be censored on radio or television anymore, and the language that one hears out in public these days is just plain filth most of the time, too. 

As a result, Maddie's parents are having to work "over time" to make sure she doesn't pick up any foul language from all of these outside sources.  They are doing a great job, and have made quite an impression on Maddie.

Now keep in mind, that none of us close to Maddie curse, so that hasn't been an issue, but one word that some of us tend to use sometimes is the word "stupid".  Madison's mama has taught her not to say "stupid" because she says it doesn't sound nice. 

Unfortunately, sometimes us older folks (MiMi and E) tend to slip up and use the word "stupid" to refer to things that "bug" us from time to time--like our politicians, mosquitoes, gnats, the south Georgia heat, and other pests!  You know, it's funny, the older we get, the more things seem to bug us!  We seem use that word quite a bit some days.
 
We have recently dubbed Maddie our little "word patrol". She is quick to remind us if we slip up and say the "S word"!  Thank goodness, our "bad word" vocabulary is pretty limited--and thank goodness for our little "word patrol"!

Look Who's Driving...

Can you see that tiny little head behind the steering wheel?  Guess who it is?  It's big boy, Caden, taking his first go cart ride!!!

Caden's dad loves to drive go carts, and a couple of weeks ago, their family traveled an hour to our nearest go cart track.  I don't know how his parents did it, but they managed to talk Caden into getting in the cart--and taking a ride.  Something Cade said he didn't care about doing again, but of course, I'm sure that opinion will change over time, too!

I love the photo of Brett and Caden riding around the track. I love family times...They're simply the best!

Sharing Some Recovered Maddie Moments...

Up until recently, I thought I'd lost a treasure trove full of movie clips taken with my digital camera.  Thankfully, my oldest son showed me where my movies are stored on my computer, then helped me file them so I could find them.  I'm very grateful for two my "computer savy" sons!

I'm feeling sort of nostalgic today, so I searched through the movie files and found a few old clips from several years ago.  Wow!  It's hard to remember Madison ever being this tiny, but I know that she was!  This video is over four years old!

These clips will mean so much to Madison one of these days...Not only is there video of her as a baby, but she will have her mother' voice narrating the movie.  Only us older folks can truly appreciate the marvel of being able to hear your mom's voice, one of these days, when she's no longer with you.

This particular movie clip concerns "The Wiggles".  Oh how we loved The Wiggles!  Unfortunately, by the time we discovered them, their show was nearing it's final season on television.  That's too bad, even I loved The Wiggles! 

Fortunately, Madison was able to attend a Wiggles concert while they were still coming on television!  Greg had retired by then, and Sam had taken his place, but the show was still great.  Lucky for us, her parents let me and my hubby tag along!  I truly enjoyed the show as much as Madison did! 

And now, without further delay...may I present, a "Maddie Moment" ...watching The Wiggles:

Kids...

Recently, my husband and I had the pleasure of being invited to share some vacation time with Maddie and her family at a nearby beach.  They rented a condo, and planned to be gone for three days and nights. 

Ed and I have invited Maddie's family to join us on vacation, from time to time, so they returned the favor!  We all get along great, and usually have a lot of fun together.  Sometimes we've invited our other children and their families, too.

Ed and I decided to give the family a head start on their vacation, then join them the following day.  I felt like they needed some "family time", and two nights away from home is pretty much my limit.  I tend to miss my bed--among other things!

I guess it's a good thing we decided to join them when we did, because my daughter said that Madison got up the next morning, all sad and ready to go home!  She said that she missed cousin Cade, and she missed her toys!  It was the first time she and her family had been off alone together to spend the night!

Brandy explained to her that MiMi and E were coming to join them later that same day, to which Maddie quickly replied, "Good, then I'll have someone to play with!"  Of course, we all knew that she was referring to her old faithful "friend", "E".

While sitting on the beach later that same day, Madison saw an older fellow walking by, and said "Look at that old man!"  I told her not to say that, because the man couldn't help it because he was old.  Later I asked her if she thought "E" was old.  To which she quickly replied, "Don't talk about my friend!"  Whatever!

My daughter and I have often wondered just how Madison views her grandfather.  We think that she views him as another child, since they are always playing together!  I think she views me as an "old fart" because I'm not "into" playing much, and am usually the one who tries to keep the two them out of trouble!  It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!

On the way home from vacation, all of us stopped at Wal-mart.  While we were checking out, I looked-- and there were Maddie and E, trying to step on each other's shoes--right in the middle of Wal-mart!  I stiffled my inner self, and didn't tell the two of them to stop.  I should have! 

Our next stop was Burger King.  Guess what happened there?!  The two of them started up their game of stepping on each other's feet--on the sidewalk in front of Burger King!  Guess who ended up with a skinned knee because of it?  Maddie did!  I knew I should've gotten on to those two "kids"!

It Looks Like A...

You may or may not remember that little grandson, Caden, is going to become a big brother in late December...and you may or may not remember that little Caden has said "the new baby can't come and live with them."

Well, last week, Christina was given an early "sneak peek" into the womb, via a sonogram, to see if the sex of the baby could be determined.  It was still a bit early, just over 16 weeks, and of course the baby wasn't really in the mood to "let it all hang out", but they said "it looks like a boy." instead of a positive, "it's a boy"!

I guess the idea of having a baby brother appeals to little Caden, because now he says "a baby brother can come and live with them."  I wonder if he will still feel the same way when he finds out the baby will be staying in his old room...

Baby brothers are nice, as are little grandsons...Can't wait until the next sonogram so we can hear someone say for sure..."It's a boy"!

She Worries About Her Looks...Oh My!

Our girl, Madison, is growing up.  A couple of recent incidents have given us a sneak peek into what we may be facing in the future.

The first incident happened during Madison's first session of Vacation Bible School.  At the end of the week, Madison brought home the crafts that she'd made during the week.  When she pulled out a framed photograph of herself, she began to cry.  She cried because she didn't like the way her photograph looked! 

I didn't witness this incident, but I was shocked when Madison's mom told me about it.  Since when does a four-year-old worry about taking a "bad picture"? 

The second incident happened at our house-- over a Wii game.  Madison refused to bowl because she didn't like the way her little person looked on our Wii!  She said "the eyes don't look right!"  Despite the fact that we changed "the eyes", she still didn't like the way she looked!  You've got to be kidding me!!  All of this drama over "looks" at age four? 

MiMi says..."Oh my!  These next twelve years may prove to be interesting."  Did you notice the photo of Madison at the top of this post?  Madison took it of herself...