Caden's 13th Birthday

We have a teenager in the family!

We started Caden's birthday celebration with friends at Sky Zone. 

Caden, Tyler, Caleb, Saurya, Jacob, Alex, Ryan, Cole, Noah, Amaar 

Cole and Kieran excited for Sky Zone fun

Cole attempting the ladder

Jousting was a favorite with the boys.

They spent a lot of time playing dodgeball too.

Super fun and easy party without any injuries...success!

What a great group of boys!

Our second celebration was with Nana and Papa.

Caden's actual birthday...

Donut breakfast before jazz band 

 Presents after Scholastic Bowl practice

A genuine smile, which is not always easy to get from a teenager

A videogame, of course

A paintball mask

Yummy cake with pictures of Caden's favorite things...baseball, trumpet, books, running shoes, and video game controller 

That's a bright cake! 

Caden is intelligent, social, dedicated, determined (aka stubborn), active, happiest when busy, and always willing to try new things. It is not always easy to parent this teenager, but we love him so.   

Our February

We started the month with a sick Kieran. Just a fever, but it kept him home from school for three days. 

Rey was happy to have her buddy home. 

Caden baked a delicious devil's food cake with white chocolate frosting. 

Yum!

Caden had the opportunity to participate in Scholastic Bowl this year. He really enjoyed it! He often served as captain of the B team, competed on the A team a couple times, and was one of only two 7th graders to go to the regional meet with the A team. Love watching him do something he enjoys so much!  

We met Nana, Papa, Aunt Shannon, and Uncle Josh at an Illini basketball game. Illini lost against Penn State, but we had an awesome time. It has been many years since my last Illini basketball game. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the environment. So much fun!

Nachos!

Caden missed the basketball game because he was having his own fun with GMS Jazz Bands at EIU Jazz Festival. 

Rey was tired of us being gone so much. She tried to stowaway in Caden's backpack.

Kindergarten and 4th grade Valentine parties...

Kieran making a valentine for school staff

So sweet!

Cole's last Valentine party 

Cole trying to shoot q-tips through a straw into a bowl

The photo booth was a lot of fun for the 4th graders. 

Jovie had a bad reaction to her vaccines. She was pretty sick, and we were very worried.

Thankfully, she stuck close to me when she wasn't feeling well. 

Cole, Kieran, and I attended GES' Mad Scientist Family Night. We wore pajamas and rotated to classrooms with different science experiments in them.    

In this classroom, the boys had to design a boat and test if it could float. 

Success!

Caden participated in Solo and Ensemble Contest for the second year. He performed a solo and in a trio. He did very well and received first place scores on both performances.  

Pretty Rey with her new favorite toy that she likes to lose under the fridge repeatedly

Our January

January brought temperatures all over the place, irritating colds for 3/5 of us, lots of school responsibilities for Caden, basketball games for Cole, and another lost tooth for Kieran.

The boys taught Nana and me how to play the PlayStation VR. The carnival game is a lot of fun.  

At some point most nights, both cats end up in our room in their spots. Jovie adopted her new bed. Her new thing is dragging it around the bedroom. I am not sure where she wants it.  

Kieran lost his second tooth on January 2nd. I was hoping he would lose it before Christmas, but no such luck. He almost lost it while spending Christmas gift cards at Toys R Us, but I made him wait until we were in the car.

Most nights, Rey starts out by hiding under Cole's bed right before bedtime and hopes that she is allowed to stay. As long as her purring doesn't keep Cole awake, I allow it. They are both happiest when I let her stay. The night before this photo was taken, Rey had gifted Cole with a red Angry Bird.

On the last day of winter break, we met one of Kieran's kindergarten friends (Zaiden) at Chuck E. Cheese's for games and pizza.

More of Rey's antics...

Keeping a distant eye on the robotic vacuum

For some reason, Rey has adopted my Ugg boots. Too bad she didn't discover them earlier. She would have been able to fit inside of them a year ago. 

Rey dragging "her" boot around the house

Jovie snuggled up against Nana during some game time for the boys.

Rey found her spot with Caden on the beanbag. She alternated between watching Caden's game and sucking on her paw.

Cole is playing basketball in the Chatham recreational league again this winter. He is #5 on the red team. It is hard for me to get good photos in this gym. The lighting is weird, and the movement is constant unless someone is shooting a free throw.

Kieran switched to a backless booster. I made the mistake of not taking the old booster to the basement right away. Now, we have a booster seat in one of our entry ways. Jovie and Rey think it is a great sleeping spot.

Kieran celebrated 100 days of kindergarten!

With his 100 day project...100th day ocean with 100 goldfish 

We were excited about the return of Food Network's Kids Baking Championship. The show makes us hungry and also inspires baking here. We enjoyed Cole's creation (white cake with strawberry icing) first.  

Good friends, Olivia and Ethan, performed in Lion King Jr. It was a great show!

Cole and Ethan

The boys with Olivia (Grasslands character) and Ethan (Young Simba)