Cade-isms

Oh my Cade. Sweet, sweet not-so-baby Cade.

He amazes me each and every day with things he says and I just feel like I have to record it so that I will remember all of the quirky, funny little comments he comes up with. There's never a dull moment, that's for sure. I've had this blog post going all month, adding things to it along the way. Figured I should post since the month is almost up. We will never get this time back again and we are just trying to soak in every precious second. So here's what our sweet Cade has been up to at 2 1/2 years old (as of 8.3.14)

• Favorite foods: loves bananas, Lunchables (guilty. I do occasionally throw Lunchables in the lunch box because I am lazy, yes), "Pri' Suns" (Capri Suns), chocolate milk, grapes, applesauce squeezables, GoGurt, Happy Meals (chick chick over hamburgers 90% of the time), Pop-tarts, mini pancakes, hot dogs, Lucky Charms cereal (he only picks out the marshmallows.), Cheez Its, and as unhealthy as all this sounds....he really eats ANYTHING that we eat at dinner time and we try to cook somewhat healthy. He'll eat steak, chicken, potatoes, zucchini and squash I make...even avocados when it's Mexican night! He has always been a good eater and is already eating me out of house and home. Every 30 minutes, no lie, I hear "Mama! I'm huuuuuungry". We constantly have to have snacks on hand. 

• He does love taking his gummy vitamins. He says "Mama, I need some medicine" and reaches that squishy, chubby little hand in the jar then few seconds later I hear "Maaaaaama! My haaaaand stuck!!!!" Never fails.

A few days ago...

Cade: "Mama I just gon' go hunting, I be riiiiiiight back!"

He leaves the room for not even a minute, comes back out of breath.

"Mama, I got that dove!"

• We've been dabbling in potty training. Yes, he's going to kill me one day for this photo but seriously? Look at this. I can't help his daddy didn't leave any SC Sportsman magazines in there! We've tried big boy underwear a few afternoons and he did good with telling me he had to go, because he usually tells us when he's wearing diapers. However, this weekend he forgot he had on the big boy underwear (and I guess so did I) until I felt something on my leg because he was sitting on my lap. FAIL. Yeah, he's not ready...so I'm not going to push it. Maybe when I'm off work for several days during the holidays we can try again.

• He loves watching The Braves with his daddy. Trips me out when he just randomly yells "Good job BRAVE!" When they did absolutely nothing to cheer for at the moment. I like that he is a sports enthusiast already. 

• He also looooves riding the lawnmower with his daddy and staying outside until sunset riding his John Deere tractor (8 months later, it's still the only Christmas present he needed...)

• His favorite books are the ones about emergency vehicles, cars, trucks, and trains. He also loves his Winnie the Pooh book.

• His favorite TV shows are Mickey Mouse Club, Jake, and Doc McStuffins.

• He can say the blessing before meals. It goes like this: "Thank you for my Jesus. Thank you for my food. Ah-men" He made it up himself. Now tell me that's not the sweetest thing ever. 

• Recently, I've been trying to tell him random stories that I make up before bedtime (and Chad laughs because he says I'm the worst story-teller ever. Bah!) and now Cade will get soooo serious, like he's telling a scary story and say "Onced-up-on-a-time...there was a MUNSTER...." Cutest thing ever.

• Some of his favorite songs are "Turn Down for What" and "Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle". Yep, judge away. "Troubadour" by George Strait and "Wagon Wheel" are still his favs to sing...and I do mean sing 24/7.

• On the iPad (his daddy's iPad that he has taken over...) he has one app that we have downloaded on there - Talking Ben. That's it. This is because Cade doesn't want anything to do with any other app but YouTube. For about a year now, he has been overly obsessed with YouTube videos that involve 1. Four-wheelers 2. Darius Rucker's Wagon Wheel video 3. weedeaters (legit Husquavarna informercials. He would sit and watch them for hours people!!!!!) 4. leafblowers 5. tractors ... and more recently  playdoh (? playdoh tutorials), firetrucks, ambulances, and babies crying. Yeah, I dunno. I monitor everything he watches, but sometimes he will get on some crazy stuff. He knows how to navigate YouTube like nobody's business. One time he even looked up at me and said "Mama, skip the ads". Oh, scuuuuuse me. 

• Ever since we went to Tweetsie Railroad, he has been REALLY into cowboys and indians. He loves watching that on YouTube too actually. He also loves pirates. He says he wants to be all three for Halloween, so we will see.

• He's just a tad bit dramatic. Ok, so a lot dramatic. He will pick up his stuffed puppy dog or Mr. Croc and say "aawwwww puuuuuuppy, whaaaat's wraaaaaarng??" Bless. He is still very loving at least. Always concerned about his pups and crocodiles I suppose. Looks up at us all the time and just says "Mama I love you!" or "Daddy I love you!" Sweetest four words that I've ever heard.

• Oh speaking of being dramatic, he is also very imaginative. On the way to the beach we overheard him in the backseat talking to someone. He said "Yeah, you got your guns?" .... "Um, Cade who are you talking to???" ..... response: "Jerry". Hmmmph. Jerry. Few weeks later in the bathtub, he mentions "swimming with Jerry". Do kids get imaginary friends this early? These scenarios have been the only time Chad has said "Ok, maybe we do need to have him a sibling to play with". Uhh, ya think? 

In a world of his own sometimes...drama King.

• Oh, also this month - HUGE for us. Cade finally said buh-bye to his p-a-c-i. You know, we always spelled it out in front of him while he was going through withdrawals, never said it, so that's the only way I know how to say it now. I know if and when we ever DO have another baby, they will not have a paci past the age of one. Who am I kidding though? I said the same thing about Cade and well, 2.5 years later we finally do away with it. (One thing I've learned - never say never when it comes to parenting) It was pretty much hell week, but we survived and it's been three full weeks now. Praise!! Definitely a big boy now...

• This is his "pose" stance. Sometimes he just puts his hands on his hips for no reason and says "Look, I'm posing!" He's been around my Sugar models entirely too much.

• He's defintely not sweet ALL the time. He can get in these moods where he acts like a straight up pouty, moody, hormonal teenager. Seriously. He will pitch a fit in a heartbeat. That's when I do look at him and tell him behavior like that is quickly putting him on the road to being an only child. Kidding, kidding...but whew, my nerves can not take. Oh and Chad, my mom, the sitter...all say he acts good as gold when it's just them keeping him. So he's ONLY ridiculous around me? Other moms experience this? 

• I forgot to mention his new love for Peyton and Eli's "Fantasy, fantasy....football fantasy..." Tell me you've seen the YouTube video. We've seen is oooooh about 189 times. Cade goes around the house singing..."Fantasy, fantasy...football fantasy....fantasy, fantasy....." you know the rest....

• A couple of mornings ago on the way to Mrs. Kims, I had something on my windshield so I made the wipers come on and cleaned it off with the wiper fluid. From the backseat I hear... "Ooooooh MAMA, MAKE IT RAIN!!!!" Y'all. I died. Huh-larious.

• Like I mentioned in last post, he's finally jumping off the side of the pool now with his puddlejumper and off the diving board. Another big step.

• Finally, he's been watching me scroll through my FB and Instagram newsfeeds sometimes when he's sitting in my lap. Yesterday he looked at Chad and said "Daddy I not want to do the water challenge"...

It is always an adventure with this one. The BEST adventure. Most days (lately, like I said as we trek through the "terrible twos") I do find myself wanting to pull my hair out....not going to lie....but my word, I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. His sweet little "mama I love you" and those little arms hugging my neck so tight make up for it ALL.

I just want to give a big hug to all the moms out there with toddlers. I know each phase has challenges so I say "Bless you". But then I know later on, when I'm dealing with Cade as a teenager and his problems, then see a mom with their teenage boy I will think the same thing  "Bless you". It just puts it all into perspective for me and the funny part is, I just thought I gave mad props to those who had more than ONE toddler at a time (uhhhh, my sister and brother in law who have twins...plus now one more!) Oh no, after we had Cade, I was like "No... Seriously. How did they do it?" I felt like I was being punked. They made it seem so effortless!!

But I have learned every parent is pretty much just trying to survive and we're all just trying to be the BEST parent we can be [except those who make sandwiches look like Superman in the Bento boxes will rival my $2 Lunchables in my kid's lunch box any day. HA!] Seriously, though...whether you are making Superman sandwiches or just trying to keep your kid alive with whatever else...stay at home moms, or working moms...moms of one...moms of two, three, four...we're all doing a dang good job. This is tough stuff!

For now, I'm off to enjoy the rest of this two year old phase..."terrible" and wonderful. All in one.

Because just think, he will be THREE in about five short months! 

Yes way.