Opinionated

Caden is really starting to let his opinions be known, especially the unreasonable ones. For example, sandalls are apparently not shoes. I bought him a pair and have tried every day all week to put them on his feet. When I am successfull in getting one strapped on he starts shaking his foot and yelling 'off!' in a panic. I tried to explain they are shoes, to which he shook his head and brought me his tennis shoes.

Another day we tried a baseball cap instead of one his traditional floppy brimmed hats. You would have thought we were torturing the kid. He just stood there crying so pathetically until we changed his hat.

He is outgrowing the sippy cup phase. He much prefers to drink from a cup, straw, or water bottle. He'll throw his sippy in the trash if I try to give him water in it then he catches me drinking water from my water bottle.

Finally, he will only eat rice pasta if its smooth. I bought a cheaper brand of elbow pasta that has some ridges on it and the stuff doesn't make it past his lips. As soon as he feels those bumps its all over.

Mesquite Family Vacation

We had a blast last week in Mesquite. We hung out at the park (so hot!), played in the swimming pool (a bit intimidating for a little boy), and popped over to Vegas to visit Caden's cousins (he loves playing with little girls). Here are a few highlights from the vacation.

*Caden swimming in the big pool with daddy.

*Caden splashing in the backyard pool with Madisen while Caitlyn looks on.

*Caden as a baby burrito. It was so funny to watch him walk around with his towell like that!

*Caden with his three cousins (Brooklyn, Madisen, and Caitlyn).

*Caden trying on daddy's shoes.

*Caden asking if it was time to leave the 'ott!' park yet.

Caden thought it was the best thing ever to spend so much time with daddy. Let the summer vacation season begin!

Powered Up!

I'm so happy, I could cry. That is water you can see coming out of those sprinkler heads!

Speed Bumps?

Have you seen the commercial for the TV show Parks and Recreation? You know, the one where she puts speed bumps on the slide to make it safer? (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can click here for a really poor quality version on youtube). Check out this slide we found in Mesquite - what are those things supposed to be?

Caden's First Sentence

Grandma and Grandpa Dodds always have potato chips for Caden when he visits. Since I won't keep them in the house, the first thing he does upon arrival at Grandma and Grandpa's is to ask for chips. He always remembers where they were and usually drags someone to the correct cupboard to assist him. As I mentioned earlier, my parents have been remodeling so the chips have been moving. The last three times we were there they were in an upper cupboard near the stove. Last Thursday when we were there my mom had cleared out all the cupboards in anticipation of loading the dishes etc. in the correct locations. This is how Caden's encounter with Grandma went.

Grandma: Caden, come give me a hug!
*A grinning Caden jumps into Grandma's arms, then immediately points to the nearby cupboard.
Caden: Door. Chits (chips).
*Grandma opens the cupboard and shows him its empty. A confused Caden points to the cupboard again.
Caden: Chits.
Grandma: They're all gone. There isn't anything there.
*Grandma shuts the cupboard. Undeterred, Caden points to the cupboard to the left of the one just open. Grandma opens this cupboard.
Grandma: There's nothing in there, either.
*Utterly perplexed, Caden looks from Grandma to the two empty cupboards.
Caden: Where da chits go?

And there you have it folks. After almost 20 months of communicating in grunts, single words, and motions, the thing that finally inspired Caden to form a complete sentence was his quest for chips.

Caden's New Favorite Game

We are off to Mesquite for our annual family vacation. Before we go, though, I wanted to leave you with a video of Caden's new favorite game.


He is endlessly entertained by opening and closing the door in his bedroom and finding me there. To signal the game has begun, he runs into his room, shuts the door, then yells "Ma Ma!" When I knock on the door to let him know I'm there he giggles and opens it. If you listen closely to the video you'll hear the giggling. He always shuts it quickly, though, before I can get in.

Cleaning Lessons

How to clean a clogged shower drain:

1. Take the cover off the drain and remove any visible hair.
2. Pour baking soda followed by vinegar down the drain. Ooh and Ahh over the bubbles this creates.
3. Rinse with warm water.
4. Put supplies away. DO NOT leave the baking soda on the edge of the tub.

How Caden mimics momma's drain cleaning:

1. Find the baking soda momma left on the side of the tub. Dump it various places throughout the house - the kitchen floor, the bathroom floor, the coffee table.

2. Dump a little water or milk on it from your water bottle or sippy cup.
3. When no bubbles appear, smear it around with your hand.

4. Discard the empty baking soda box.

5. Go find momma to ask her why you can't get the bubbles to show up.

6. Have a drink to relax. After all, you worked hard today.

Time to Build

My parents have been remodeling their kitchen the last few months and we've been up a few times to help. Since Caden thought he always needed to be in the tool box, Grandma Dodds bought him his own little tool bench. Here are a few pictures of him hammering at home one night.

A Little Plug

A few days ago I got my copy of The First Timer's Cookbook. Its the book my brother in law, Chef Shawn, wrote that I posted about a while back when the book was first sent to the printers. After a few glitches that slowed production, the book is finally out and I've got to say I'm really impressed.

Its not your traditional cookbook - there are no recipes. Have you ever been to a restaurant and wondered "how do they do that?" This book answers that question. Chef Shawn summarizes years of schooling and experience in this easy to understand book. He covers everything from how to cook juicy meat (hint: watch out for carry over cooking) to how to cut fruits and veggies more efficiently. Two handy charts show when nearly 50 fruits and veggies can be found in stores, detailing when they are 'best,' 'good,' 'fair,' or simply unavailable. Other chapters cover choosing the right meat, using herbs and seasonings, making sauces, and so much more.

This book is perfect for anyone wanting to improve their cooking skills. It also makes a great gift for those just branching out into the cooking world. Stock up and give The First Timer's Cookbook as a wedding or graduation gift. Trust me, the recipient will thank you.

Click here If you'd like to buy a copy (or two or three).

Lazy Sunday

My Mother's Day was great. It was just a nice, relaxing, lazy Sunday. Caden slept in until a little after 9. We all had breakfast as a family (which almost never happens), then Ryan and Caden gave me my Mother's Day gift - a top of the line knife sharpener. The knives at my place tend to be pretty dull, which more often than not leads to some blood when the knife bounces off whatever I'm trying to cut. I'm excited for some razor sharp cutting action.

At church all the kids in nursery were on their best behavior. Its as if they knew it was a special day. After church Caden took his nap while Ryan and I put the finishing touches on the presents for our mothers. I wrapped the washclothes that Caden had put handprints on while Ryan made stove top popcorn. When Caden woke up a little early and just wanted to be held while he finished napping Ryan signed up for that 'chore'. It was so sweet to watch the two of them sleeping together on the couch, and I enjoyed the 30 minutes of quiet time. After nap time we visited both our moms.

Could there be a more perfect day in a Mother's eyes than one spent with her family?

Who needs PlayDough?

All Caden needs is a bowlfull of mashed potatoes and a mom distracted by the JW's at the front door. Potatoes -good for rubbing between your hands like soap, squishing through your fists, and smearing around your tray. After all that, its still good for eating, too.

Note: Play Dough contains wheat. I'll need to make Caden rice flour salt dough in order for him to get the real play dough experience.

Wheeler Farm

We went to Wheeler Farm today with some friends. Caden wouldn't get out of the stroller for the majority of the adventure, but still seemed to enjoy the animals. As you can tell from the pictures he wouldn't take his eyes off them.

Tex-mex Taco Dinner

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cups chicken broth (or 1 cup broth and 1 cup water)
2 cups long cooking white rice
1 large chopped tomato
shredded lettuce

Directions:
Brown meat in skillet. Add chili powder, broth, and rice. Bring to boil. Cover and let simmer on low heat 15 minutes or until rice is done. Serve with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes.

Review:
This is a staple at our house. I frequently make it to take if we'll be away from home because I can pretty much guarantee Caden will eat it. As a bonus, Ryan and I really like it as well. The original Kraft recipe calls for adding 1/2 cup Cheez Whiz and using instant rice.

Hi!

Caden has been experimenting with the word 'hi' lately. I noticed that he'll occasionally pick up my cell phone, hold it to his ear and say 'hi,' but other than that he hasn't used it with much regularity. Last night he was outside working on sprinklers with us, standing near the drive way. Our neighbor came home and when he got out of his truck Caden loudly greeted him with 'hi!' It was kind of cute and kind of shocking to see our little kiddo attempting to start a conversation and interact with someone.