Christmas 2014

Well it's only almost 2 months since Christmas, so that's not to terrible to finally blog about it right?  Even if it is, here I go!  We didn't go out of town thankfully!  After dealing with a sick baby over Thanksgiving and getting over an upper respiratory infections in our house, I was glad to be staying put.  We did travel a bit between our two families and had the traditional Christmas meal 3 times over 2 days, but it was absolutely wonderful!
     Caden was so much more involved this year!  He didn't fully unwrap a lot of his presents (got tired of having to work at it so hard and sitting still), but he loved ripping off the bows (including gifts that weren't his own!)  Since this little guy has a November birthday and got an insane amount of toys from his party, Casey and I opted to get him no toys and buy him practical things he needed.  No lie, the kid had a toothbrush holder in his stocking.  Our rationale was that at this age he just likes to unwrap the gifts/play with the boxes and this is probably the only year we can get away with getting him things like a mat for his bathtub and clothes.  Plus, we knew his aunts/uncles and grandparents would get him some fun toys.   Santa agreed Caden had been good this year and brought him a power tool set, so the little guy had something fun to unwrap on Christmas morning at home.
     By the end of Christmas Day, our family of three was happy and full.  Here are a few pictures to highlight the holiday season:

2013

 

2014 (can barely fit in there,
wow what a difference a year makes!)

Wish it wasn't blurry, but loving his bean bag chair from
Grandma & Grandpa!

 

Stockings full of goodies for all!

Caden getting some help from his Daddy on
Christmas morning

Helping his Pawpaw load the Nerf gun

Hixon Family Christmas Photo 2014



Caden giving the dog a treat through the doggie door at
my parent's house

 

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and once voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Romans 15:5-6

Pictures with Santa

I'm such a bad blogger!!  The business of the holidays plus Caden being sick has not allowed me much time to blog.  Since its February and Christmas holidays seem like a distant memory, allow me and my bad blogging habits to take you back in time.  Despite myself not feeling 100% some of this time, our holidays were great!  It was great to compare this Christmas season and last with Caden.  In 2013, he was barely a month old and this year he's walking all over the place.  Meeting the big guy in the red suit was also a different experience compared to last year.
     Seeing Santa in 2013 was a total breeze!  Caden slept the entire time and it was easy to get a picture.  This past Christmas went pretty well, but not quite as easy.  With Caden's mobility comes the dislike of sitting still even if you've got a white beard and a red suit.  Combine that with a dirty diaper on top of needing a nap, results in no smiles for pictures and wanting to get down on the ground to roam where he wanted.  The lovely photographer was able to get some good shots though, so that made this Mommy happy.  I couldn't get the photographers pictures to upload on blogger, so these shots are ones I took with my phone.

Dec. 2014 (1 yr. old)

Dec. 2013 (Caden is 3 weeks old)



"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh..."  Galatians 5:16-17

First Haircut

   In addition to getting a Christmas tree, we also took Caden to get his first haircut a week and a half ago! The owner of Casey's barbershop who cut Casey's hair back when he was a boy offered to give Caden his first haircut for free, which was super nice!    I debated for a long time when the was the right time to do this.  Parts of Caden's hair needed it and other parts were fine.  Finally, the front part just got too much for me, so to the barber we went.  Per the barber, Caden did pretty well.  He had to sit in his Daddy's lap, which we expected.  The barber gave him a sucker, which gave a few seconds of entertainment/distraction and slightly blue lips.  Back of his head went well, he was just curious at what was going on back there.  Front of the head was another story.  Little guy did not like being forced to sit still, so that's when the fussing started.  Thankfully, when you don't have much hair, the cuts don't take long either!  Wow, how clipping off some hairs makes a child look so much more grown up!  My baby boy looks like this little person (sniff, sniff).
   Once the final product was complete, I realized how badly this kid needed a trim.  No craziness in the front or back and no hair over the ears anymore.  The barber was sweet enough to give Caden a certificate too (of course saved a few hairs for the baby book as well! 

BEFORE shot,
Crazy hair of various lengths

Sweet Mr. Larry cutting Caden's hair

 

And he's off!  His hair looks so much better!

Another after shot!  Love this boy!

 

"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

1 Corinthians 1:25

Christmas Tree 2014

   Better late than never on this post! Between Caden and I being sick and the craziness of this holiday season, there has not been time to write.  Almost 2 weekends ago, we got our Christmas tree.  Our family tradition is to have a real tree (I love the smell, nothing like it!) and we go to a tree farm to chop it down.  Before we went, Casey and I discussed how big of a tree we were going to get and where it would go in our house.  We both agreed that our child would not be able to handle the temptation of a tree (fully decorated or not) or presents out in the open, and rather than have to endure constant policing and chastising when a wrong is done, we opted to put it out of direct contact of little hands.   So that way everyone could still enjoy it, it made more sense to do a smaller tree that could go on top off an end table this year.
   What a difference experience this was last year.  Caden was a couple weeks old last year and Casey and I would take turns staying with him in his car seat while the other went in search for the "perfect" tree.  This year, Caden was mobile and loved exploring the farm!  He particularly enjoyed playing with broken tree branches or the yard stick given to measure the tree.  With a little one, time is of the essence, so after just a few minutes of searching we found our tree for 2014!



Dec.2013



Dec. 2014



Taking his role of "helper" seriously

  

Finished product!

 

 

 

"He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light."  John 1:8

 

 

Thanksgiving 2014

   This Thanksgiving took us out of town to visit Casey's side of the family.  We traveled to Marble Falls on Wednesday to stay with Casey's grandfather.  On Thursday we drove to Kerrville to spend Thanksgiving with his aunts, uncles, and cousins and then back to Marble Falls.  On Friday, we drove back to Houston.  While the food and family time were wonderful, the not so wonderful was having a sick baby through it all.  Of course, this would happen when we are out of town and when the pediatricians office was closed.  Caden had been experiencing a runny nose for a couple days, but nothing too terrible so we attributed it to allergies since so many others were having the sniffles too. 
   When we arrived to Marble Falls,  Casey noticed that he felt warm and you could tell that his overall demeanor was that of one who did not feel well.  Our poor baby's temp got us to 104.5 that night (scary!)  We did Tylenol, wet cloths on his back, cool baths, and as much liquids as he would drink.  Lots of prayers too!  So thankful for having a 24 hr. nurse line through our pediatrician to answer our questions and give us suggestions on how to help our little guy!  Sleep was of course rough (which I knew wouldn't be great since we were out of town, but being sick added a whole nother element)  By morning he seemed better both on the fever and attitude, so since he only had a cold we decided to still travel to Kerrville to have Thanksgiving.  It went pretty well for having a child that didn't feel well.  Let's just say that the sweet family portrait I was hoping to get didn't happen.  With a rough nights sleep for all 3 of us combined with a sick kiddo, that was not something I wanted to remember with a picture down the road.
   Thanksgiving evening brought back his fever even with giving him Tylenol every 4 hours, but it only went to 103.5 that night, so at least we seemed to be heading in the right direction.  Friday we headed back home.  We hated to leave our happy place, but were anxious to get our baby back to his home and in his own bed.  Caden's fever seemed to be gone and he seemed to be feeling better though he was still congested.  Colds are no fun, but I think they're way worse for babies since the only medicine you can really give them is Tylenol.  Little pooper is a fighter and beat this cold after a few days.  Our Thanksgiving was not what we had planned, but we are still very blessed!
   While there are many things our family is thankful for, we are very thankful for God healing our sweet child.  Hope your Thanksgiving made you reflect on the abundant blessings in your life!

Yes my child is wearing no pants or shoes in Home Depot. 
Don't judge.  After fussing in my arms, I was willing to try
anything to get him to stop crying.

Poor baby felt awful Wednesday night. 
He just laid on me still, which is not like him.

Enjoying Thanksgiving lunch.

My tiny waisted boy can't keep his pants up!

Family Fun outside!

One of my favorite pictures
with my sweet Caden! 
Watching the Aggies play LSU!



"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4 



THE BIG ONE!

   The past couple weeks have been busy, which has left little time for blogging.  On the plus, I have several ideas for posts, just need to make time to write them out.  So, our adorable blessing turned the big ONE on November 18th!  What a year it's been!  To see how his personality has developed in these 365 days is incredible!  This child is one that is always active and on the go!  He loves to climb anything, throw/kick balls, play with anything with wheels, and "reading" books (more of flipping through the pages quickly, but we are thrilled he is finally showing interest!).  His Daddy is still his favorite person, and he's a carbon copy of him in the looks department.
   We had Caden's birthday party with a few family and friends the weekend before his birthday (and before his 12 month appt at the pediatrician) and boy did this little guy make out like a bandit!  He got so many toys that he won't be getting hardly any at Christmas (downfall of having a birthday almost a month before Xmas).  It was so special to have so many people over at our house who love Caden so much!  We did a cars and trucks themed birthday party because this kid is obsessed with anything that has wheels (I feel this kid has it in his genes from both sides!)  We served BBQ to our guests and of course cake and ice cream!  Based on the tiny samples of sweets Caden has eaten and how he usually feeds himself, I knew he would be pretty excited about the cake.  Those that know Casey know that his favorite kind of cake is yellow cake with chocolate frosting, so I thought the perfect choice for his mini-me would be the same.  Like father, like son he LOVED his cake!  Our son was so sweet to feed both of his parents some cake too.
  His actual bday was a very chilly day.  Casey took the day off and we were able to spend the whole day together as a family, which was nice and I hope its a tradition we can continue until he starts school. We planned a trip to the zoo, but with the weather we opted to take Caden to the children's museum and then to a hibachi place for lunch.  My child loves fire (which makes this Momma nervous) so I figured he would really enjoy watching the chefs cook in front of him, and he did!  Overall it was a successful day that ended with some more cake!
  Thoughtful mom that I am scheduled his doctor appt for the day after his birthday.  Little guy got 4 shots and bloodwork, so that no is fun to do on your actual birthday!  Poor kiddo was pretty angry by the end of his appt!  Praise the Lord, everything went great!  Pediatrician said we were doing everything perfectly! (sweet music to my ears!!!) Here are Caden's stats:
Weight: 20 lbs, 9.6 oz. (38%) compared to 7 lbs. 7.5 oz. at birth
Height: 30 in. (57%)  compared to 20.25 inches at birth
Head Circumference: 18.54 in. (79%)

It's crazy to see how much he has grown into this little person in one year, that I'm excited to see what this next year holds!  Caden John we love you to pieces and are so glad God gave you to us!  More pictures to come, but here are a few to get started!

Love this kid!

The birthday boy!

Fascinated with fire! Oh my!

I'm honestly kinda thankful this is the last of
the monthly stickers.  Getting a good picture is so difficult!

Everyone needs to eat cake on their actual birthday too!

So mad that I let the nurse give him 4 shots
and then poke him again for blood work!



"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." Psalm 9:1

Happy Halloween!

In retrospect, I'd say Caden's 1st Halloween was great!  He visited a pumpkin patch, went to the church's Fall Festival, and even went trick or treating!  Being the kiddo's first Halloween, there was much debate discussion about what his costume should be.  My search started early because I wanted to be proactive and have as many options as possible, so I went to about 6 different stores to see what was out there and this is what I found out:  there really aren't too many options for babies.  Like with clothes, bedding, and most other baby-related items, there are way options for girls than boys.   Since Caden is fully mobile, he had to have a costume he could walk in.  I know there is a small window in which we as parents get to choose his costume before voicing his own wants, and I have a strong feeling he is not going to want to be a cute puppy dog at age 8.  It will probably be some super hero, which is totally fine, but I think the sweet little animal or pumpkin costumes are absolutely adorable and I wanted that moment as a sappy mother.
     Casey and I went back and forth on what he should be based on the options we had and neither one of us could agree with the other's suggestions.  Finally, we came to a compromise, a lion (masculine but still cute)!  I took Caden with me back to one of the Halloween stores to make the purchase!  Thankfully they let you try on the costumes, which is wonderful since most places are an "all sales final" kind of place.  Looking back I probably shouldn't have done this so close to nap time, but some days it just doesn't work out that way.  Anywho, we are in the store and I am trying to put this costume on Caden to see what size he needs, when he has a meltdown.  After exhausting both of us getting the body of this animal costume on him, I next try for the mane that velcros around his face.  Not happening!  This child did not want anything touching his face and if it was, he was ripping it off.  With that new revelation, that wiped out nearly all the costumes that now existed for babies.  Thankfully, the also had these cotton superhero costumes in the store as well.  Casey had suggested those earlier, but I turned those down because I wanted one of those super cute animals.  There was only one costume that didn't require anything on his face and that was Superman!  With the hairs in the middle of his head being longer, this costume turned out to be the perfect fit for him!  Plus, it was cotton so he wouldn't be baking in it at our Fall Festival at church!  So after all that debating, it turned out to be for nothing, which makes me laugh now.  Our Superman was absolutely adorable and now we have a costume that doubles as pajamas (which he totally slept in Halloween night).
     We have not added candy to Caden's diet at this point, but we wanted to take him for a little trick or treating on his first Halloween.  So we stayed close and just went to a few neighbor's houses who we knew would want to see Caden dressed up and then passed out candy at our house.  One of our neighbors (a preschool teacher) was sweet enough to make a special bag of goodies for Caden with food he could actually eat! So thoughtful!  The rest will just have to be taken care of by his Mommy and Daddy!  Seems pretty fair after my 4:30 and 5:00 wake up calls we've had going on here lately!

Superman at the MCOC Fall Festival

 

Enjoying his glow stick from the neighbors

Caden's first house to go trick or treating at!

No candy in there yet!

Silly boy!

Helping Daddy at work

Both of these Hixon boys dressed up for Halloween

 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9