Party preparations

are under way! We are planning a bowling birthday party for Caden who turns four next Tuesday. We've reserved the bowling alley's party room and 2 lanes with bumpers and Daddy will print our homemade invites tomorrow at Kinko's. Caden's inviting Tegan (cousin), Brock, Christie, and Nick (family friends), Luke, Tanner, and Grayson (friends from preschool), Uncle Tim and Aunt Melissa, Cane Papa and Grandma, Truck Papa and Grandma, and Shannon and Dan (his godmother and her boyfriend). We ordered bowling themed plates and napkins and a special balloon from an online company, Birthday Direct. We still need to figure out the cake and a gift for the birthday boy. Caden will have 2 small celebrations and his big party. Because his actual birthday is on Tuesday this year we'll have a special dinner and cake on his birthday, plus he'll get to take birthday treats to preschool that day. Then we'll have his big bowling bash on the following Saturday! We just showed him on the calendar how many days (only 6 left) until his birthday. He's getting excited and I'm getting nervous about having 6 3-5 year olds bowling!

happy election day!

Regardless of your political affiliations, I hope you exercised your right to vote! And that you were as pleased and proud to be an American today as Caden was to steal my "I Voted!" sticker.

At school, Caden's class talked about the election and voting today. I'm not sure how much 3 and 4 year olds understand, but Caden knows John Acain (as he pronounces it) and Obama (pronounced (o-BAM-a) are the guys running to be president and that the grown-ups voted today.

And if you're interested in political pundit Caden Livesay's prediction . . .Acain will be our next president. If you agree, then Caden's a political prodigy! If you don't, remember, he'll only be 4 next week and this is the first presidential election he's been alive for.

Happy Election Day to all Americans! Thank you to all those who have lost loved ones or suffered injury themselves to keep all Americans safe and free so we may exercise this most important right!!

golf guy trick-or treats

Caden chose to be what he called a "golf guy" for Halloween this year. Truck Grandma made him a really cute golf guy costume complete with knickers, vest, and hat. Thanks, Truck Grandma!! Caden loved it and we got tons of compliments about how cute he was and how original his costume was!

Trick or treating was successful! Caden has a bag overflowing with treats he'll never be able to eat, but we had fun!

Caden's funny Halloween face

finally a good picture of our golf guy

golf guy and pirate girl (our niece, Tegan)

Caden's favorite Halloween house

The house in the last picture is one in our neighborhood. The couple that lives there LOVES all the holidays and decorates like none other! Caden begged us every night for weeks to drive by this house to see the lavish decorations. Being a closet holiday decoration fanatic, I obliged or made Doug oblige almost every night! We can't wait to see their Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations. They're always amazing! If you've never seen this house before, you've got to check it out this holiday season, especially if you have little children. It's just magical and encompasses all the good, fun things about the holidays.