Cade turns 2!

I have been a slacker on the blog posting, sorry!  But with good reason. I have been blogging professionally for the local paper, The Palo Alto Weekly!  Here is the link to that blog.

Even though I have been silent on this blog, life has been far from silent in the McCormick household. With two very energetic boys, there is zero time for silence. Well, a few hours in the evening when my little cherubs are fast asleep, but otherwise, it is go, go, go around here!

And with that, somehow my sweet baby Cade turned T-W-O! I don't know how it happened, but it did.

It seems like yesterday when I was taking my final aqua boot camp class and enjoying my final hours with Brock (and feeling tremendously guilty for "ruining his life") before heading to the hospital to deliver what I was certain to be a girl. What do I know about mother's intuition!?! This boy has brought SO MUCH joy to our family. The way he admires his big brother Brocky (yes, he calls him that. So cute!) to the way he laughs and smiles at everything, this kid is full of life. One of his co-op preschool classmate's mother called him expressive and I wholeheartildy agree!  He is amazing!

Brock and Cade of course have had their ups and downs. There have been days I am thankful we did not have to rush to the emergency room with a broken bone or a bleeding gash that needed repairing. These two are 100% boy. They fight, tackle, rip toys out of each other's arms, kick, scream, pinch, punch...eeks!  But they also hug, kiss, laugh, protect each other, cry together, lick each other's ice cream (gross, I know, but the negotiations are really cute), choose each other's outfits, have dance parties in their PJ's, dress up in costumes, play with cars and planes together, and share in many more wonderful adventures. They are each other's best friend.

Happy birthday, Cade!  Brock is so excited it's your birthday because he just stole all of your presents and will play with them until the break, then return them to you. Enjoy being the second kid...

Brock turns 4!

How did that happen?

Remember when he was this little guy?

Well not anymore!  This little guy is now 4!  F-O-U-R!!??!!  My baby is growing up so fast. 

For his birthday, Brock said he wanted to have all his friends over to eat "Dusty" cake and watch "Dusty" movie.  Easy-peasy!  We threw up some Disney Planes decorations, decorated a "Dusty" cake and made some snacks for the all to nibble on.  Brock was overjoyed - he had the greatest day and best of all, we asked his friends to forego gifts and instead bring a new or used book for a book drive our friend is organizing.  We collected over 50 books for the book drive!

Mr. Big Boy

Brock's "Dusty" cake. Thanks to my friend Crystal for the crushed Oreo's road suggestion.

Someone is REALLY excited - priceless picture!

Goodies for the kiddos to take home

Sugar loaded toddler, oye!

January, February and March - oh my!

Seeing a trend in my blogging lately? Here's my latest three month update...

Since the new year, we have been busy bees at the McCormick home.  Cade and Brock are growing up so fast, it's hard to keep up!

Cars, Planes, Superheroes, Construction Trucks, books, art projects, bikes, scooters and running races pretty much sums up these two.  Brock and Cade enjoy each other's company most of the time, which is helpful.  Sure, the playing usually ends up in screaming and tears, but for a few minutes each day, I enjoy watching the kids play together in bliss.

Cade's vocabulary is pretty strong for a 19 month-old.  He can communicate well and when he gets frustrated with us for not understanding, we can usually have him point us in the direction and we figure out what he is saying. It's really helpful to have early talkers (Brock was too).  The temper tantrums aren't as frequent as some of their peers. Don't think I am naive, my kids are REALLY good at pitching a fit but I feel they aren't as full blown as some I've seen.  And now that this statement is in print, I'm pretty sure I just cursed myself.

Cade started a parent-participation preschool in January.  He goes one morning a week (with me).  We started at the second semester and the prior to our first day, the teacher discussed her concern to his acclimation, hoping the adjustment period would be quick.  Well, within seconds of entering the classroom on the first day, Cade waved his hands and screamed, "Hiiii!!!"  Yep, I think he acclimated pretty easily.  He loves going to Teacher Monica and it's been fun watching him interact with his friends.

First day of Preschool

Brock has morphed in to my big boy.  He's becoming more and more independent as the days progress.  In October we started potty training and he is now officially out of diapers (except to sleep) and is doing amazingly well.  We are so proud of him and he is proud of himself, which is very rewarding to see.  He is also great at dressing himself.  Some days I question the outfit but hey he did it himself so I won't complain.  I did draw the line and make him change when he put on SEVEN shirts, TWO pair of underwear, shorts, pants and a jacket to go to school.  I thought it was a little excessive and told him to take off his jacket.  Kidding!  I was able to negotiate the outfit down to one pair of underwear, two shirts (one long sleeved, one short sleeved) and one pair of pants.  Whew!  Won that battle.

Brock is also taking soccer and dance classes at school and LOVES them equally.  I love watching him teach me his dance moves.  They are hilarious. Check out this video from his dance class.

Here are some random pictures from January and February.  I've been a slacker with taking pictures...so there aren't many (maybe this is a good thing for the few of you who actually read this blog?)

Cade's selfie

Actually getting along - it was only a few minutes

Bath time gets awfully adventurous (and sometimes dangerous)

Does he ever stop smiling?  No, not really.

They love story time

Someone is ready for the rain!

Weird Science....Anyone see the resemblance?

Selfie

The last week of March, we met up with Grandma and Grandpa for a wine tasting and birthday celebration adventure in Paso Robles.  As usual, the boys were troopers.  We visited several wineries to pick up our member shipments. It was a long day but we so enjoyed seeing my folks and catching up.  We wrapped up the night at a local pizza parlor then headed to our hotel for an early night.  The following day we woke up and headed home to get ready for Brock's birthday party!

Our fearless captain!

Family glam shot at L'Aventure winery

All smiles

Cade got some great Grandma and Grandpa snuggle time

Brock and Cade's fan club

Grandma knows how to celebrate a birthday boy!

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a New Year

Sooooo, it's been a while since I've had a few minutes to sit in front of the computer for fun (otherwise known as blogging).  And with Cade asleep for a few more minutes, I will try my best to update y'all.

October - Our family welcomed our nephew (the boy's cousin) Thomas in October.  He is the fourth grandchild on my family's side and the fourth boy. We looked forward to meeting him in December at Christmas.

With Cade becoming a full blown walker, we really enjoyed Halloween.  The boys ran walked around the neighborhood in their costumes with a few friends.  They filled their goodie bags with candies and had a blast playing in their costumes.  The grown ups joined in the fun with an adult beverage in hand.  :-)

November - The whole family was struck with colds, coughs and flu bugs from mid-October until early November.  Thankfully, we were well at Thanksgiving, unlike the past two years.  As usual we spent Thanksgiving with Brian's family having so much fun.  Coming from a large family, we are always guaranteed lots of hugs and great conversation.  Oh, and wonderful wines to enjoy throughout the holiday.

We also made an impromptu visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house in November.  We became members of the SB Zoo so whenever we visit, we make sure to go to the zoo. The boys love it!

December - Seriously, how did the end of the year arrive so quickly?  Nuts!  Well, as quickly as the end of the year arrived, the actual month of December was a blur.  And boy, was it cold!  We had multiple weeks of frost and temperatures in the low 30's. Anyone reading this who lives on the East Coast has free right to growl at me right now...I deserve it. 

Christmas was AMAZING!  This was the first year Brock actually understood what Christmas means. He had a lot of fun making a wish list and asking a lot of questions about what Christmas. He's very curious. One thing we want to instill in our kids is that holidays are not about receiving gifts but more about the spirit of giving.  So we put together a bag of toys to donate to other kids.  Brock thoughtfully selected the toys to add to the bag.  I was proud of him for his actions. And in turn, Santa was kind to him, giving him a few presents from his wish list.

Legos, Cars and Planes were a big theme this year.  The boys are now learning how to share (ugh, wish us luck!).  In addition to presents, Cade got six, yes SIX teeth over the holiday break.  Two top teeth in the front and all four pre-molars are coming in.  Poor kid has been gnawing and drooling like crazy!

Having all four cousins together at Christmas for the first time was a blast.  Brock asked a lot of questions about baby Thomas and Logan, trying to understand where he fell in rank.  He seemed reassured that he was still the oldest and that Cade wasn't going to turn into a sister (now talk about medical marvels...).  The boys played together nicely most of the time and enjoyed each other's company.  We took them to the beach, the zoo and the park.  Lots of play was had, indeed!

Unfortunately both boys caught colds and coughs around the holidays.  By the time we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's Brock was well but Cade was very ill. We ended up taking him to the urgent care where they put him on prednisone.  But by the end of the week, he was in tip-top shape.  The downside was baby Thomas and Cade had to be quarantined from each other, so I didn't get too many snuggles with my newest nephew - next time Thomas!

Welcome 2014! - We welcomed 2014 with a noon year's eve party. A few of Brock's friends gathered at the park and at noon, we blew bubbles.  That way the kids had a chance to actually celebrate without having to stay up all night.

Cheers to a new year filled with prosperity and promise!

Cade and his new year, new hair cut.  He looks so old now! :-(