Greenways Park

There have been several BEAUTIFUL days here in the Texas Panhandle!  Sunday happened to be one of those days so we loaded up and headed over to the Greenways Park
(where grandma & grandpa Dow live).

At 8 months, Kaden is still a little small for the swing,
but he enjoyed it for a few minutes.

Ben got in some "fly fishing" practice.

Overall, it was a nice & relaxing Sunday afternoon.

Milestones

Like all milestones, they are thrilling at first. 

Sleeping through the night, rolling over, eating solid food, crawling...  The "pulling up" milestone has been incredibly fun & fulfilling to watch, but there is a downside. 

Bedtime. 

Back when Kaden was less mobile, I would simply lay him down in his crib when he seemed groggy and soon he would drift off to sleep without much fuss.  Those days might be over.  

Now he wants to stand up and make sure he isn't missing out on any action.  Recently I've taken to holding him on my lap until he relaxes and finally gives in to sleep.

I know is is somewhat of an awful picture of me, but it's how I typically look these days... Yikes!

This is what happens...

... when daddy babysits?

This is the scene that I stumbled upon as I walked through the door after teaching my class tonight.  I guess I shouldn't complain though; I had a couple hours off.   

Pulling Up

Little mister has been on the move SPEED
(army) crawling around the house.

  He managed to pull himself to a standing position,
but I had to anchor the laundry basket to keep it from toppling over or sliding away.

And we thought we had our work cut out for us before.

I Think We Should Lower The Crib

Today I put Kaden down for this usual afternoon nap. 
Since he started crawling, it's taken him a lot longer to settle down and actually fall alseep.  Instead, he amuses himself by playing with his pacifier and turning completely around to grab at his stuffed animals & mobile.  He usually windmill kicks his covers off and sometimes tries to peel up the sheet. 

This afternoon it suddenly got quiet and I thought,
"Oh thank God... He's finally asleep... Maybe I can get something accomplished today..." 
This is what I found.

I think it's time we lowered the mattress; he's only on his knees.

Blessed Easter!

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. 

I have so many great memories about spending the weekend at Grandma & Grandpa Cook’s house—dyeing Easter eggs with all of my cousins, the sunrise Easter service which usually involved the entire Cook clan arriving slightly late and therefore monopolizing the 1st two pews @ St. Paul's Lutheran Church (even getting up at 5 a.m. and sharing a bathroom with 10 other people in order to get ready for church), brunch, the big Easter egg hunt…

THIS afternoon we packed up and headed to
Grandma & Grandpa Dow’s house for Kaden's first Easter experience.  It was a gorgeous day in the Texas panhandle—
80° without a cloud in sight.

Grandma Shanny's beautiful table setting.

salmon, German friend potatoes, salad, broccoli, black-eyed peas, French bread, and fruit salad.

Here is a picture of my strawberry cake for dessert.

Shanny brought out a plush Eeyore that she had found recently.  Kaden LOVED it; I think it was due to the fact that they were practically the same size.

We then headed outside for a few family pictures.

3 generations of Dow men.

Ben, Kristin and Kaden Dow
April 4, 2010 (Easter Sunday)

In the years to come, I hope Easter will only become more fun and meaningful for Kaden. I look forward to us forming many great memories to which he can look back upon and smile.

Showing An Interest In Books…

… and not just for chewing. 

I’ve tried reading to Kaden on several different occasions over the past few months, but I typically have only had success when he was very tired or sick & swaddled—otherwise there was intense grabbing & trying to shove the book in his mouth.

This morning I laid a few cardboard books on the floor and sat Kaden in the middle. To my pleasant surprise, he sat there and amused himself for about 10 minutes as I tried to get ready. 

(Unfortunately I spent too much time playing & taking pictures.)