and she's TWO!

...it's official. cadence turned two today. happy birthday to our adorable little Boo!

63,072,000 seconds and counting...

my dearest cadence,

in a couple of days, you will be turning TWO YEARS OLD. it just blows my mind how quickly 730 days can fly by.

...i still remember the moment i heard you crying for the very first time when you were born. you had such strong lungs, even though you were 3 weeks early! even now, i have to say that you are very good at projecting your voice, which bodes well for a future as a rock star, live theatre actor, politician or traveling tent revival preacher. i know that some grown-ups upon whom you inflict your vocal propelling skills may not yet see that potential, but you pay them no mind.

at this time, i will not recap your entire past two year history, as this blog has done nothing BUT that since your arrival on this planet, but i did want to commemorate your special day by emphatically exclaiming for all the world wide web to hear/read/whatever-you-call-it that “I LOVE MY CADENCE! I LOVE HER, I LOVE HER, I LOVE HER!!!” just think of that justifiably-much-loathed diamond commercial where the dude shouts out his love for his blushing wife to all the pigeons and passers-by in venice's st. mark's square, before he presents her with a huge-ass diamond anniversary ring that supposedly erases all the embarrassment he’s caused her up to that moment in time. that’s what i’m doing here. i hope it will erase all the embarrassment i may have caused you as i faithfully recounted for the whole world wide web these past TWO YEARS about your

...snotty

...nose-pickin',

...ass-crackin',

...poopin'

...boob-lovin'

...badass ways. among other things.

happy 2nd birthday, darling!

love,
your mama

happy birthday EVERYBODY EVERYWHERE

september seems to be a big month for birthdays. all them christmas babies, right? uncle dave's birthday was saturday, and ted's mom hosted a get-together at their place. it was just us, dave and his fiance becki, becki's parents, grandma sophie, and mom and dad. it was our first time meeting becki's parents, who were totally nice.

...cadence loves going to grandma/grandpa's house, especially if uncle dave is going to be there. she pretty much monopolized his attention from the moment we drove up to the house.

...she did take a few moments to try out cousin mackenzie's old tricycle, which we will be keeping at grandma/grandpa's since we can let her ride it there without fear of cars running her over.

...for most of the evening, though, she was pretty much glued to uncle dave's side. it's so cute watching her lead him around by his finger. she started doing this with grandpa too, and by the end of the evening she would yell out 'ay-pa, where are you? ay-pa?!' it's nice to see her getting attached to her grandpa. i know some of my favorite childhood memories are of my grandpa.

...needless to say, ted's mom who is the hostess with the mostest made a mouthwateringly delicious dinner. she made this cold cucumber soup that i absolutely must get the recipe for. even cadence finished her bowl of pasta and peas w/ marinara. and that cheesecake was totally yummy. i'm gonna gain a few pounds just thinking about it...i think everybody had a good time. becki's parents were charming and got along just great with everyone. i can see why becki is so sweet and well-adjusted. dave is lucky to have her, and so are we!

some other september birthdays i know of are my friends connie (12th), caleb (15th), my cousin's boyfriend eric (19th), ted's brother charles (20th) and of course, our little cadence (24th). so happy birthday to all you september babies!

thank goodness for adjustable waist jeans!

finally! a pair of jeans that fit cadence's skinny waist and tiny butt AND are still long enough for her height! i wish i'd known about adjustable waist jeans earlier. some stores like baby gap, old navy and gymboree incorporate an adjustable waist (as opposed to just an elastic waist) in their pants from sized 2T and up. and as you can see from these photos,

...whether she's walking...

...running...

...jumping...

...or climbing a tree...

...her jeans stay on just fine, and that makes her and her mommy very happy!

goodbye, summer...

...and HELLO, FALL! woohoo! it's mid-september, and you know what that means. it's gonna be hoodie-wearing, hot tea-drinking weather soon, and i can't wait! it's actually been rainy lately, but i know that we can soon look forward to cool, crisp sunny autumn days.

...not much going on around here. cadence has been singing a lot lately. her favorites are twinkle, twinkle, if you're happy and you know it, and row row row your boat. she can actually sing most of the correct lyrics and a semblance of the melody. i think i need to find her a music class so she can sing and dance to her heart's content.

speaking of music, ted and tim and the gang are playing tonight at schubas. they are opening up for the emo boys from wheaton, sleeping at last. we're meeting up w/ ted's parents and local siblings and their significant others for dinner before the show tonight. it's an all ages show so i'm taking cadence (any my baby hawk, of course).