Wednesday, November 4, 2009

update attempt


I have been trying to update the blog regularly for awhile, and each time I fail. Sorry for such a long break!

Where to begin?
It is hard to believe that Cade is already 8 months old. He is a sweet little guy. He LOVES his brother, is sitting up and almost crawling, eats almost anything (shocker!!), makes motorboat sounds, claps, is very ticklish, slightly bigger than his brother when Reed was his age, loves his paci, and cries when Mommy walks away!

I think it is even harder to believe that Reed is almost 2 1/2. He is SO much fun! He talks all the time, and will repeat what he is saying over, and over, and over until he knows you know what he is saying. He loves choo-choo's, to ride his bike, color/paint, play any kind of sport, help bathe "his baby". He can repeat his ABC's, knows most of his colors, and can kinda count to 5 (four is hard to say, lol). At night Reed has started praying with us and "thanking God" for EVERYONE he knows..."thank you for Momma and Dada and Gramma and Pawpaw and "gigi" aka Casey, and Leo and Uncle and Mimi, and "B", and Poppy, and both Nana's(but that is hard to say), and "gem" aka Gabe, and last night he prayed for his friend Avery saying "I ran round with Avery". I really should get it on video. It is funny because sometimes he throws in his favorite toy of the day - "thank you for choo-choos" is one we hear alot! LOL

I LOVE being a stay at home Mom! I LOVE watching them grow and learn! I can't wait to see what their future holds - they are such a blessing!!


Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Changes

We were busy this weekend making some cosmetic changes to our house.

First we painted our red door ... black. It took 1 coat of primer, and 3 coats of black. Of those 4 coats I think Ryan painted 1/4 of one coast... Yet, somehow the only picture I have of the door while still in its "before" stages happened to be while Ryan painted of the door. Rest assured I painted all of the rest.

In case you couldn't see what was on our door, it is this cute "D" I painted.

Ryan also got his truck out of the garage this weekend ( Reed was very excited to go for a ride in it with "Uncle" and Daddy):


And when the truck left the garage he uncovered this little diamond in the rough...
The table is from Goodwill a number of years ago, and lived in Ryan's apartment in college.

When I saw it on Saturday I quickly and excitedly exclaimed "Can we paint that?! A little sanding and a little spray paint and we have a new practically free end table! I LOVE it - I will try to get a good picture of it with the lamp I intend to find or buy soon!Speaking of cosmetic changes...this couch is getting a big one! I bought this couch at a garage sale when we first got married. Little did I know that our puppy liked tearing the fabric off of the couch. We have since tried slipcovers, but anyone who has ever used a slipcover knows how terrible they are!! They don't fit quite right, the move around, oh, and they shrink when you dry them!

That is why I have decided to recover the couch. I started yesterday and it is going well so far.


Here the couch is in the first stages of just being pinned - but I will be sure to show you a finished picture. I am so excited about what the couch will look like! It is white, but will be easy to wash (and bleach) and the fabric was less the $5 a yard, making it less than $50 for a brand new couch!!

Ill be back soon with pictures of the boys!!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Look-A-Likes ?



Can you tell Who is Who?

In case you aren't sure, the top picture is Cade, and the bottom is Reed. People keep telling me they look nothing alike..but Ry and I disagree. I can tell differences, but I still think they look a lot alike!! What do you think? They are both almost 5 months in the pictures! Poor Cade was being tortured by his brother and the dog when I tried to snap the picture - hence the confused look on his face! LOL


Thursday, July 16, 2009

Recently

My mom came in town for a short visit, and while she was here we took advantage of the pool at her hotel. Both the boys loved the water. Reed was a little "cautious" but did very well and blew lots of bubbles and kicked! Cade was VERY happy in the water. I wish we could do it more often!




Cade update: Cade is still a very happy little guy. He is rolling over occasionally, and talking up a storm. He had his 4 mth check up last week (hard to believe) and everything looked good. He is around the 30th percentile for everything - so he is just an average little guy. He weighs about 15 lbs, was 25 inches and I don't remember his head size.


Monday, June 8, 2009

Birthday Boy

We have been experiencing some technical difficulties, again. But, I seem to be able to upload pictures again...so here goes- there is a lot of catching up to do!
Since our last post we have been to Jacksonville for Ryan to play in an alumni Rugby game:

Reed had fun running around and watching Dada:

Aside from what was probably a minor concussion, Ryan thankfully came home uninjured :)
I am sure I am missing some other big events, but I will just skip ahead to Reed's 2nd Birthday! It is hard to believe that 2 years ago he came into our lives. He has changed us for the better. He is the sweetest little boy, and I love spending everyday with him! What a blessing!



For his birthday we threw a joint party with his friend Gabe. It was a fun morning in the park...perfect for a 2 year old!

And I can't forget my other little blessing. Cade is growing like a weed. He is around 14lbs, and the sweetest little guy! He LOVES to smile at his Momma, snuggle with his blanket and play with his big brother. Ok, so he can't actually play with Reed yet, but he smiles every time Reed comes around and he watches everything he does. I can't wait for them to grow up and be friends. (I think I can wait for him to grow up...he is such a sweet baby)

I will be back soon with more recent pictures, hopefully!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Visitor

This weekend Heather, one my best friends and sorority sisters came to stay with us for a night and meet Cade. Even though the weather was yucky, I had a great time, and Reed was thrilled to have someone new to play with! He loves his Aunt Heather!! All that was missing was Aunt Chel.
On another note, I have been learning to sew a little. I made a car seat cover for Reed's car seat, that I finished the night before Cade was born. Unfortunatley it doesn't quite fit and I haven't had a chance to try to manuver it a little. I have made a few burp clothes, and monogrammed a cute cup for Reed (yes, my sewing machine will monogram as well!!). My next goal is to make an outfit for Cade for Easter..and maybe Reed? I can't decide if he is too old for longalls, but it would be cute if they matched! I forgot to take pictures of most of the stuff I made before mailing it as a gift, but I do have a picture of the cup:


Finally, do you think this is a problem?
Big brother laying in baby's bouncer with his paci and blanket...hmm...regressing?? I walked back into the room after changing Cade's diaper to see this!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Cade's friend!


Our good friends welcomed Eli into the world just 2 weeks after Cade. Ironically he was supposed to be 2 weeks older than Cade (Oh Well). We are so excited for you guys and are looking forward to watching all the boys grow up together! Family vacations are just going to keep getting more interesting! ;)

Saturday, March 21, 2009

2 Weeks

It's hard to believe that Cade is already 2 weeks old! He is doing great; eating, sleeping, and looking around. He loves watching his mobile and looking at lights. Reed is a great big brother. He is always patting and rubbing Cades head, and tries to give Cade his paci when he cries. I am really looking forward to watching them grow up together, and all the adventures that are sure to come!


Sweet kisses from Big Brother


Don't you love baby yawns?


Tomorrow is Cade's 2 week doctors appointment. I am excited to see how much weight he has gained!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Blessings!



Those are just 2 of the amazing blessings God has given to me!! He is so good, and I am so thankful!!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Welcome Home


Yes! We finally made it home! Cade is perfectly healthy, and mom is recovering! Reed seems fairly unphased by the new arrival. He quickly climbed in the car to see him when we brought him home and then handed him his paci! He really has been sweet and constantly wants to hold his baby!


This picture perfectly captures how lucky I am. I have 3 amazing men in my life, and I am so blessed!!

Welcome Home Baby Cade! We are so excited to have you in our family!!



Monday, March 9, 2009

Cade Robert Dender


Introducing:
Cade Robert Dender
Born March 5, 2009 at 5:53 pm
5lbs 5oz.
17 1/2 inches


Cade, much like his big brother, made his entrance into the world about 4 weeks early!! It certainly was an exciting delivery - an emergency C-section. I went to the doctor on Tuesday, and she had told me to be monitoring Cades movement, and Thursday I woke up and noticed he wasn't moving like normal. So, I monitored him through the morning, and did all things you are supposed to: ate, drank, had a little caffenine, layed down, and still nothing. So I called my doctor, and went to triage to have a non-stress test. All the while I was still thinking that all was fine and this was going to be silly. Well, while he was being monitored they noticed his heartrate decreasing, and decreasing significantly when I had a contraction. This landed me in L&D to be monitored through the night. My doctor came in, and saw I was 3 centimeters already, so she broke my water and put a fetal monitor in his head. However, she was not getting a heartrate with that, and thus I was rushed off to have an emergency C-section.

Cade was born 10 minutes from when I was being wheeled into the OR. It turned out that I had a fetal - maternal bleed, which means there was a hemorage in the placenta and blood was going the wrong way, out of Cade and into me. Cade was born with about a third of the blood he needed, but has since had 2 blood transfusions and is doing much better!!

We are so blessed to be surrounded wtih so many prayer warriors. There were alot of people who were praying for us during all the commotion, not even knowing something was going on. God was and is watching over our family.

We hope to take him home by Wednesday, and introduce him to his big brother, whom he looks very much like! I will keep updating at things happen, and add some more pictures soon!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Sweet Dreams


Who wouldn't have sweet dreams when they are cuddled up with their Bible and Teddy?

Reed has to hold his Bear AND Bible - not just a book, but his Bible. We usually sneak in and take the book before we go to bed so he doesn't roll over and hurt himself on it. But, how sweet is that?


Monday, February 23, 2009

Cole Thomas Dender

Cole Thomas Dender
6lbs. 6oz and 19.5inches

The newest Dender was welcomed into the world last night - no not our baby - Ryan's cousins welcomed Cole Thomas Dender early this morning! We are excited for Cole and Cade to grow up together, and hopefully meet soon!

Congrats Carleen and Rodney!


Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Good News

I just got home from the doctor, and I was told that I could return to my normal activity. She did say that at this point in the pregnancy I should be "taking it easy" anyways, but I am allowed to go for some walks (no long hikes). Basically she told me just to listen to my body, but if you know me at all, you that my body will "tell me" it is just fine to keep right on going! ;)

Luckily the next full moon isn't until March 11th - so I should be OK until then! I get to wait 2 WHOLE weeks before I go back to the doc, so March 3rd (Chelsea's Bday) will be my next appt. I will keep you posted! Have a good one!

Monday, February 16, 2009

V-Day, and more

This sweet picture is what walked in our front door Saturday! He was working hard to carry those flowers in (notice the "dender tongue" hanging out of his mouth). Thank you Ryan, I love my flowers, they are beautiful! And, I love you!!

Around bed time the other night Reed decided he wanted to put on Daddy's shorts, instead of his pajama pants. It was so cute! He was watching some cartoons and barely noticed he was holding up the enormous shorts! He still wants to be just like Daddy!

Cade's room is finally coming along. We moved the crib out of Reed's room, and into Cades, hung the letters and finally dragged all of the other baby gear out of the garage. Now I need some curtains!! However, I feel confident that if Cade were to come tomorrow we are prepared now! Now, if only I could get the house clean enough! Nesting has definitely kicked in, and I know Ryan is enjoying it!! Every room has been cleaned, organized, and I think we have taken 5 trips to Goodwill already!! But, I still feel like it's not clean enough!

I go to the doctor tomorrow - I am 34+ weeks pregnant, and at my appointment last week Cade was very low and engaged. I was told to "take it easy" but that is hard to do when chasing a toddler all day! Hopefully tomorrow everything will look good, and I can return to taking walks and such. It has been so beautiful outside and it seems like all I have wanted to do is what I am not allowed to do! Oh Well! Reed came when I was just over 35 weeks pregnant, so I guess I can understand the reason for some concern. I would like to make it a little farther this time. I have a shower in Jacksonville next weekend, so anytime after that shower would be great!! I am so looking forward to seeing everyone!

Speaking of showers, this weekend Kailee and I are throwing a shower for her sister, Jamie. I am Jamie's Matron of Honor, and so excited for the wedding this summer - Reed is the ring bearer! :) I am looking forward to the shower this weekend as well, and feel so thankful to have Kailee to plan it with!

Well, I am off to "take it easy" but will post how the doctor's appointment goes tomorrow!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

North Carolina


This week we went to North Carolina with Max, Kathleen and Jackson. We stayed in a tiny cabin that had a kitchen, living area and one bedroom that all 6 ( 2 mommies, 2 daddies, and 2 toddlers) of us stayed in. As the week progressed it slowly got colder and colder. The last night we were there it snowed, but not enough to stick and play with. However, that evening the temperature outside dropped to about 9 degrees, and was definitely in the negatives with the wind chill. Needless to say, we were FREEZING in the tiny cabin that was barely insulated!! We did have a great time with Max and Kathleen, but I think everyone was ready to return to a larger house with real heating!!

Mommy and Reed in the snow - note: I have on Ryan's jacket, pregnancy can not be blamed for how large I look in the picture ;)

After leaving the cabin we drove to Greenville, SC to visit with some of Ryan's family for the night. We had a great time seeing everyone, and Reed loved playing with his cousins!! Unfortunatly, I do not have any pictures of our short time in SC.

On another note, Reed started sleeping in his big boy bed the night we came home - because he wanted too - and has slept WONDERFULLY since!!! We go in, read a book say our prayers, and kiss him goodnight, and that's about all. Nap time has even been smooth so far. I just hope it continues!!

Well...here is one more picture for your enjoyment, and mine!

Brushing his teeth

Friday, January 30, 2009

Big Boy Bed


Reed finally got his big boy bed. He isn't sleeping in it yet, but we are getting him warmed up to it! He loved it right away!

Cuddling with Daddy

Tomorrow Ryan, Reed and I will be traveling to North Carolina for a little vacation with Max, Kathleen and their sweet boy Jackson. We are very excited about the fun weekend, and hopefully a little snow! Stay tuned, I'm sure I will have great pictures!!