More Birthday Celebrations!

To make Cayel's 4th birthday extra special, we decided to take a fun little family vacation! We've done family trips here and there in the past but never just our family, the 3 of us. With Cayel at an age that he can start to appreciate and remember things, we thought now was as perfect of time as any. Josh and I joked that we wouldn't know what to do with each other for 5 solid days, just the 3 of us...but it was an absolute blast and I am now embarrassed to admit that I am going through "my boys" withdrawal!

Cayel's birthday celebration took us to the Twin Cities where we spent 4 days enjoying the Water Park of America, Nickelodeon Land at the Mall of America, the Minnesota Zoo and lots of fun restaurants! We skipped nap time, stayed up late, slept in, jumped on beds, ate unhealthy food, skipped exercising, swam our hearts out, shopped, went on roller coasters and relished in the fun and quality time we had together!

Cayel was an absolute angel and nearly a dozen times a day he would say, "oh thank you Mommy and Daddy, I having SOOOO much fun!" It was such a blessing to have a few days away from the hustle and bustle of life and focus on him! We were amazed at how much of a little boy he is becoming...maturing and eager to try new things.


Cayel LOVED this ride because he could "drive" all by himself...


Josh was such a trooper when Cayel said, "pweese Daddy go wifh me?"


Dora greeted us at Nickelodeon Land and Cayel sat high on Daddy's shoulders and cried because he didn't want her to touch or talk to him. Definitely not ready for Walt Disney World :)...



Cayel was determined to try surfing! My camera didn't catch a good action shot but he did such a good job and everyone cheered for him...

Mommy's favorite restaurant...


Mommy's favorite 4 year old...

Mommy's favorite family...

We all had so much fun and will forever cherish the memories!

Birthday Parties Galore!

Birthday Boy was lucky enough to get to celebrate his 4th birthday with his little daycare buddies! His only request for this year's birthday was to have a Spider Man birthday cake..."not that one 'fing like last year." That "one 'fing" happened to be a cowboy hat birthday cake that Mommy thought was an adorable idea. Guess Birthday Boy didn't...my, 4 year olds are opinionated! So, Super Hero theme it was and Spider Man cup cakes took the place of that one "fing".



We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daycare for Cayel to go to during the day. He adores Mark & Terri and loves his daycare friends! As you can tell, they have lots of fun!

Happy 4th Birthday Cayel!

Happy birthday sweet love...
Once again, another birthday and another year passed. Just like last year, you have grown and changed so much! It has been fun for Mommy and Daddy to watch you move from the title of toddler into a young boy who is eager to ask questions and learn all you can about this exciting thing called life. During the transition from toddler to big boy, you have hit so many special milestones...You can write every letter in your name except for "e," which you say is the hard letter. We are still working on associating the letters in the Alphabet and numbers but you have a handful of them down. It's funny to see you already try to manipulate us by always wanting to do the flash cards you already know-smart kid! You still love to read and have even started "reading" to Mommy and Daddy before bed. We love to hear your stories that always correlate so well with the pictures. You have been attending Promise Land at church every Sunday for the past year and it amazes us how much excitement and passion you have for Jesus-something we pray continues throughout your precious life! You have also been attending Awana since September and so far you have successfully memorized over two dozen Bible verses! Wow, you make us so proud! You are going on your fourth year at Terri's Tots and you love spending time with your daycare friends, especially your bestest friend Lucas...he holds a special spot in your heart! You still love to sing...with this year's favorite song being I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin. You have it memorized and ask me to play it every single time we get in the car. You'll be a part of your first church musical in April and are already having fun memorizing the songs! Candy Land is your favorite game and you LOVE to win, although you are learning to be a good sport when Mommy and Daddy win. Wrestling with Daddy has become your new obsession and we giggle every time you say, "pwease wessel wifh me Daddy." You caught your very first fish this past summer and it scared you to tears. You decided that you wanted the worm on your hook but didn't want any fish to eat it off. By the end of the summer, you were reeling them in. You are still eager as ever to go hunting with Daddy and have been persistently asking for a BB Gun like Jack and "Nonah". Mommy says when you are 18 but I'm sure Daddy will win this argument some day...You absolutely positively LOVE to be outdoors! Whether it's hiking up a "mountain" as you call them, fishing with Daddy, making a snowman in the backyard or going for bike rides with Mommy around the block...you beg to be outside every chance you get. Your favorite food is still Mac & Cheese, you love "banilla" ice cream with creme de mint sauce (just like D'ranma Linda!) and you drink more milk than anyone I know...two gallons a week if I'd let you. Daddy says you're a Mamma's boy and I won't argue that...you can stay a Mamma's boy for the rest of your life, that's fine with me!




You have accomplished so many wonderful things this past year and you continue to make Mommy and Daddy proud! You are incredibly special Cayel Mark and we love you very much!

Happy Birthday Love!