First Caldwell Football Game

Friday night football is back in our lives! We ventured to Caldwell for the Hornets first home game last night. Games sure are different this year than last year! Gone are the days of holding Cade in your lap and him falling asleep after halftime. We literally spent the whole game going up and down, up and down, up and down the bleachers. Maybe football season will help me finally lose the last of my pregnancy weight! The only time Cade sat still was during the dance team performances. I don't know if I am proud or worried!

Caldwell was outscored by bellville 26-28, but the game was still very exciting. When it was over, Cade said "Football? More?". He fell asleep as soon as we left the parking lot.

Here we are getting to the game



Let's get this game started!



Devoted Caldwell fans





Checking out the cheerleaders with Cole



Running to meet Daddy after the game



Today we went to the park with Kelsey and Natalie. They loved relaxing on the swings!

The MSC

In a rare blog entry not devoted to Cade, I wanted to update all you Aggies out there on the construction the MSC. The entire building is closed off, and the renovations officially began last week. The street in front of the MSC is also closed, making traffic a real treat in front of the G. Rollie White building :)

The gym floor of G. Rollie has been transformed into the MSC bookstore for at least the next 3 years. Hopefully the renovations will finish in this timeframe so that all students will be able to use the MSC at some point in their college careers. Having the bookstore in our building is pretty hectic, but watching the overwhelmed parents and freshmen sure provides some comic relief for us!

The lighting in these pictures isn't the greatest, but they at least give some idea of the transformation from a gym to a bookstore. I think the staff did a really great job organizing everything and making it look like a real bookstore. To hopefully deter thefts, a lovely black chain link fence has been raised all around the 2nd floor of G. Rollie to close in the bookstore. We are all a little curious about where we are supposed to hold our outdoor classes when it rains since the gym is obviously occupied. However, we are in the middle of a drought, so this may never be an issue!

Back to School

Big day today! Cade went back to daycare, Alyssa went back to work, and Chance had his first day of school. All in all, it was a pretty successful day. Cade returned with the same group of kids as last semester, in a different room with different teachers. His class is called the Ducks, which is great because he loves looking at and talking about ducks. Dropping him off this morning was really, really hard, but the reunion this afternoon was precious. He had a good day at school and I hope they continue to go well.

Here we are this morning going outside to play with Holly. I think Holly also had a little trouble adjusting to us being gone... she misses her playmate!



Cade loves getting up on the bed to visit the kitty. I'm not sure how the kitty feels about this, especially when Holly decides to join in the fun.



This afternoon when we got home, Cade found a piece of rope in the garage that kept him quite entertained for awhile. Who needs toys?



More baby news: Congratulations to Beth, Clint, and Luke Netherland on the birth of Jacob Ryan! He was born on Saturday and I got to visit Beth and Jake today in the hospital. He is a very big boy, and everyone is doing great!

Super Nanny

Whew! Cade and I had a busy day! Natalie stayed at our house for several hours today because her Mother's Day Out is closed all month. The kids enjoyed each other's company so much this time that they decided not to nap! It has been so much fun watching them grow up together this summer. Their little personalities really come out when they play together, which is quite funny.

Two kids can really destroy a room! This picture was taken 30 minutes after they started playing together.



Later this afternoon, we also watched Cole while his mom and Hayden went to Meet the Teacher night. The boys had a lot of fun playing with each other's tractors. We will definitely have more playdates during football season because the boys all get so excited to play together, and Bridget and I certainly enjoy the outings.



And now it is time for Holly, Sarge, and me to go to bed. We are all exhausted! Chance is at another scrimmage out of town.



Baby News:
A big congratulations to Karen, Chris, Avery, and Garrett Hull on the birth of Lillian Grace! She was born today at 12:38 pm and mom and baby are doing well. She is a much loved daughter and sister already, and we can't wait to meet her.

Katie and John's Wedding

Alyssa and Cade went to New Braunfels one last time this summer for a very exciting event... Katie Bader's wedding! Alyssa and Katie have been friends since preschool, and have seen each other through adventures in school projects, hairstyles, dance team, Europe, Aggieland, and most recently, a crowded photo booth. All of the girls from our high school group were so excited to see her wedding and have the chance to all get together... without our children! Chance had his first scrimmage on Saturday (the Hornets won!), so he didn't get to join us.

Here is the Canyon High School crowd



None of us managed to get a picture with the happy couple, so here is a picture of their lovely ice sculpture and tasty cupcakes.



Best wishes, Mr. and Mrs. Griffith!

Camp Adkison, Session II

Zoe and Xavier came for another visit this week, and we had lots of fun! We went to the park by our house, the mall playground, a goat farm, and the Children's Museum. Zoe and Aunt Alyssa also had a special "girls" afternoon where we went to U Paint It, Shivers for Zoe's first sno cone, and swimming at the pool. The highlight of the visit was probably the goat farm... it was like going on a school field trip! Nana and Papa know the owners, and they were nice enough to give us a tour. We saw lots of baby goats, the dairy, and sampled some goat milk ice cream. This place was so far off the beaten path that I thought we needed horses to get there. Sure am glad I don't have my little green car anymore!

We've had a fun summer with lots of time for the cousins to play together. Time to get ready for school and football!

Splash Day Education

As a first time mom, I still feel like I learn something new about parenting everyday! This is what I learned at the mainly music Splash Day last week:

1. Mommies get very sweaty.
2. Mommies get very wet.
3. Mommies get very dirty.
4. Cade has a great time, so none of the above really matters.

Things that sprinkle water, big bubbles, and a popsicle! What more could a boy ask for?









We've had a pretty fun, calm weekend. On Friday, Cade had his first trip to Wings n More. We thought of you, Russell! Cade had the grilled cheese. Saturday was the Hornets' inner-squad scrimmage, followed by a swimming party at Coach Williams house. Cade had lots of fun playing with the older kids. Today was the first day of Session II of Camp Adkison. Zoe and Xavier are here for another visit, and they came over to play at our house today. Stay tuned for pictures of cousin adventures!

Football Season Already?

It is August, and therefore, in Texas, it is high school football season! Chance will leave Monday morning at 5:40 am, and we won't see much of him until the Hornets finish playing football. We have had such a fun summer, and it is tough to say goodbye to all of our great family time. But, I know we will have lots of fun at the games, and Chance will make the absolute most of the time he does have with us.

Some Daddy and Cade highlights from this weekend:

Building (and taking apart a bookcase)



Chance had the whole thing put together (with lots of help from Cade!) and then I decided that it didn't fit. Being a fabulous husband, he promptly took it apart, put it back in the box, and we returned it to Target. And, the search for a not too tall, not too wide, not too flimsy, navy blue bookcase continues...

Relaxing at the pool



We love you, Daddy/Chance! Go Hornets!

mainly music

The past two weeks, Cade and I have gone to a very cute program called mainly music. Basically, it is a less expensive version of kindermusik, with songs, little dances, instruments, and of course, a snack. We've both had a really good time and he even loves singing all of the songs at home!

Here we are singing the feather song



At the beginning of a song, the kids all go up to the teacher to get their instrument or prop. I was really proud of Cade for going up all by himself to get his instruments. I was even more proud of him for returning them without screaming!



Natalie and Will joined us one day



The church that hosts mainly music has a big, open lobby where voices echo. We always seem to end with Cade racing the opposite direction from where we should be headed and me chasing after him. All the while, he is making beautiful "music" by himself to hear his echo!