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! :-(

Walking and babbling Cade and All Boy Brock

Cade starting to walk at 13.5 months.  He went from taking one step, to two steps, to running across the room in less than one week!  He's motivated to start chasing his big brother!

Cade is also quite the babbling babe these days. A lot of his words sound like, "ba" but he points in the general direction of the item he wants.  His squeals and claps indicate we deciphered his request appropriately and we feel mildly successful.  When he gives us pouty face, we go in for more questioning. 

Cade LOVES to eat.  Seriously, this kid is one hearty eater (hey Brock, you could learn a thing or two from your little bro).  Any food you put in front of him will be devoured within minutes. The only thing he doesn't like is milk. He only wants "mama's ba" (that means Mom's milk, in case you don't speak Cade).  So we haven't weaned him yet of that...soon, I hope!?!

The boys love to argue over toys, blankets, cuddle time...pretty much anything they can argue over, they will.  Cade is fearless and will head butt Brock if he's angry.  He also will hit Brock on the head. Of course, when Brock whines about it, we just remind him that his brother learned these things from him.  Ah-ha, we've silenced a toddler - for about two seconds.  Then he comes up with some clever response.  Oh well, back to the drawing board.  I know one day (soon???) they will be the best of friends but there is still a lot of sibling rivalry going on.  All in good time, right? 

Brock is still as energetic as ever.  He still loves all things wheels.  And reading books.  He loves using his imagination and coming up with witty stories about, um, everything.  It's all random but very cute.  Mommy, we are a family of cats who gets saved by the Iguanodon because the super race car was going down the track very fast and then we flew away in an airplane... We recently entered the super hero phase.  Everything is super hero this, super hero that.  He now wants to be Superman for Halloween.  And has told us Cade will be, too.

 

Brock is still obsessed with the Stanford marching band. Thankfully football season has started; our seats are above the band so he gets to watch his buddies from afar and cheer them on.  It's all too cute to watch the boys at the games.  Like me, they have NO idea what is going on but enjoy the atmosphere and cheer at anything. 

 

 

As always, we are thankful to be healthy and happy.  Life is good. 

Cade turns ONE

Cade recently celebrated his FIRST birthday! 

He has an affection for balls like no other, so with that, we themed his birthday, BALLS!  Our backyard was filled with blow up balls (still is, now that I think of it...).  What an easy and colorful way to decorate.  He repeatedly said, "ball" all day while pointing and smiling.  If he could talk, aside from his few choice words; one being "ball", I think he would have given his birthday a double thumbs up with lengthy commentary on his brother stealing all his presents, eating his cake, and snagging as many balls as he could carry away from his reach.

 

Some of the greatest milestones happen to babies around their first birthday.  Cade gifted himself a third tooth for his birthday.  He also can scoot/crawl.  He hasn't started to walk yet, but if there was an award for the fasted one-legged crawl, he would be a contender.  He's also figured out who his immediate family is: da (daddy), bock (Brock), mama (mommy), along with a few other words (in addition to ball): hot, ba (bottle), ba (blanket), bur (bird), aaaa -with waving hands (all done), hi, bye, uh-oh, book, and lots of babble that I'm sure means something...

Cousins - the oldest and the youngest (and 10 more in between!)

Peek-a-BALL?

The greatest part of Cade's birthday is (and always will be) that he and his Aunt Beth celebrate together.  When we were pregnant, for Beth's early birthday, our OB gave us this sealed card to give to Beth from future baby.  She was the only person who knew the gender of the baby until delivery day.  I'd say this was the best one-of-a-kind birthday present we could have ever given!

And now, one year later, here they are celebrating their birthdays together - and will for years to come!  Brock and Cade are lucky to have their Aunt close by and they both love her dearly (we all do!).

 

Happy first birthday, Cade!  It's been a whirlwind year adjusting to you in our lives.  We love you so much and can't imagine life without you.  Cheers to many more special birthdays for our special boy.

Summer fun, continued...

We have really taken advantage of the long (warm!) summer days.  Someone recently said to me that when raising kids, the days are long and the years are short.  Isn't that the truth!  We are trying to seize every moment (good and bad).

So how are we spending our long days?  Playing!

At the end of July, we took a day trip to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa in Monterey.  While Grandpa and Uncle played golf at Pebble Beach (and quite well, I might add), the rest of us went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We knew Brock would be excited but we had NO idea Cade would too.  He kept pointing to the fish and saying "ooooh".  Brock especially liked the big tank. The boys rallied for several hours before crashing out. 

That shiny background is fish swimming overhead. Cade's favorite part.

On the terrace of the aquarium watching the seals.

Grandma and Cade enjoying the day.

In early August, we met some friends in Truckee for a long weekend of fun. The mountains are incredibly beautiful and reminded me that we need to go more often - and yes, I say this after spending the first 24 hours bed ridden with altitude sickness.  It was that fun!

Brock looking sporty in his kayak.

Brock and Brian post kayak (Kate and Erik behind on the right)

Truckee beach

Nature at its finest.

When we are not adventuring out of town, we spend the rest of the days enjoying our beautiful city.  Whether it be lounging in the yard, playing at the park, or hanging out with friends, this summer is going by too fast but at least we are making the most of our days.

Our guys love to read (yay!)

Mildly successful at potty training.  We have a loooong way to go.