Happy Birthday, Caden!

Caden is 5! Can you believe it?! We can't. Caden's birthday celebrations started on the Sunday before his birthday and ended on the Saturday following the big day. A good time was had by all!

Here is Caden's look of genuine surprise and joy. Nana and Papa visited the weekend before Caden's birthday, and they surprised him with his birthday presents. He had been counting down the days until his birthday, so this was a much-appreciated early birthday treat.
Papa and Caden putting together his U.S.A. puzzle
On Caden's actual birthday, Caden enjoyed being snack leader at preschool. After preschool, he ate lunch as quickly as possible, so he could get to the present-opening. Here are Caden and Cole posing with presents from Daddy and Mommy.
Nana and Papa introduced Caden to his new passion--Legos! After opening presents from us, Daddy and Cole helped Caden assemble his first Lego set. Caden cannot get enough of Legos. He follows the directions well with very little help, and he loves the process. Caden is quite proud of all his finished products--police truck and station, small fire truck, and pirate island so far. He is already saving his money for another set.
For Caden's birthday dinner, we borrowed an idea from Caden's good friend, Olivia and her family--homemade individual pizzas and ice cream sundaes. The boys enjoyed creating their dinner and dessert.
Caden and his pizza masterpiece
5 candles!

A Trip to the Children's Museum

One more post before Caden's big birthday post...

On Tuesday, we traveled over to Decatur to spend the day at the Children's Museum. We took along friends, Jess and Brady. A great time was had by all! Caden and Cole had not been to this museum for two years, so only Caden has faint memories of it. When we first arrived at the museum, the boys bounced around to all of the exhibits pretty quickly while Jess and I tried to keep up.

Here is Cole taking a quick drive in the big red car.
Caden and Brady trying to make huge bubbles
After trying out everything the museum had to offer, the boys decided on their favorite exhibits. Caden loved the car mechanic exhibit. He got to change tires and license plates, work on the engine, and slide under the car.
Cole's favorite exhibit was the airplane. Here he is with his luggage packed for Indianapolis.
The boys also enjoyed the newsroom exhibit. Here is anchorman Cole letting us know what's going on in the world.
And here is Caden delivering the weather forecast.
The museum exhibits AND trying to keep up with the big boys wore Cole out. Cole took a break with Ronald while Caden and Brady enjoyed the climbing structure.
What a fun day! Although the boys were exhausted, they were already planning their next trip. Next post WILL involve a certain 5-year-old's big day(s)!

Valentine's Day and Other Winter Fun

Caden and Cole spent Valentine's Day weekend with Nana and Papa while Curt and I checked out Indianapolis. We found a preschool and kindergarten for the boys--a big relief! We'll make another trip to Indy in the next couple months to find a home, most likely on the west side. While we were away, Nana and Papa kept the boys entertained. Unfortunately, Cole came down with a nasty cold (you might notice his runny nose and red eyes in the pictures), which has now turned into a double ear infection. He was kind enough to share his illness with Nana.

The boys went on a Valentine scavenger hunt that led to a few presents from Nana and Papa. Here Papa squeezed in a picture of Nana and the boys with their clues before the new superheroes were opened.
Papa, the boys, and Mickey
Aunt Shannon came down for a visit. She helped the boys make beautiful valentines for us. They had a great time together. Nana and Papa recently purchased a Wii, so Caden and Shannon gave Papa some lessons. There is no photo evidence, but Papa was disqualified due to poor button control.
Grammy visited a few days before Valentine's Day and brought a bunch of yummy sweets. Here is Cole enjoying one of Grammy's heart cookies.

We have been keeping as busy as possible indoors over the winter. Now that February is almost over, we are very ready for spring. Here is Caden at a friend's birthday party. He wore himself out bouncing on inflatables and jumping into the foam pit.
We also had a good time at the PBS Funtime Station. The boys enjoyed the craft projects and seeing Super Why although from a distance (boo!), but their favorite part was the bounce house.
We have started the potty-training process with Cole. We are not turning him loose in undies yet, but he loves showing his undies off when he gets the chance to wear them.
He is so proud! Now if only he would be proud enough to keep them dry.
Curt and I enjoyed a night out last weekend. We got all dressed up for the annual Clinical Radiologists' party. While this photo was being taken, Caden was hiding. He said, "Fancy people make me shy."
This final picture shows how we often sleep at night. Both boys go to bed in their own rooms, but they almost always end up with us. No wonder my back hurts in the morning! For my family--Yes, I realize this is payback for what I did to you when given the pleasure of sharing a bed with me.
Our next post will likely include a 5-year-old! Where does the time go?!

Happy New Year!

We spent New Year's Eve with friends, the Phillips family (Paul, Misty, Lauren, & Jackson) and the Kocher family (Jared, Courtney, Christian, Ian, & Ella). Curt, Misty, and Jared went to medical school together, so we have known each other for almost ten years. Wow! We each took turns adding little ones to our families, starting with Lauren who is six years old and ending (for now) with Ella who is ten months old. All of their birthdays are in the first six months of the year, so we will be seeing a lot of each other in the upcoming months. Misty and Paul hosted the get-together and made a delicious meal. A great time was had by all!

Here is Lauren teaching Cole how to play the piano.

Caden loves playing with the Kocher boys. Here they are having a great time with Jackson's new racetrack.

Curt and Ian compared Jedi powers all evening. I think Ian might have won this round.
Cole entertaining the crowd with some tunes
Lauren and Caden playing Mario Kart with Courtney and Christian in the background
Paul and Jackson checking out the Mario Kart competition
One of the highlights of New Year's Eve was meeting Ella Kate Kocher, who came home to her family shortly after Thanksgiving. She is absolutely adorable! What a joy! Here are Ella and Mama Courtney.

Post-Christmas Family Time

We enjoyed lots of Ellis family time in the days following Christmas. We played game after game after game, assembled and played with the new toys, and watched movies.

Aunt Shannon was able to stay for a couple days, so Cole shared our Disney pictures with her.

Nana and Papa stayed for the weekend following Christmas. The boys got very used to having them around. Here is Cole taking a snooze on Papa.
Caden jumps at the chance to play the Wii. The boys have a lot of fun playing the new Mario baseball game. Here is Caden up to bat with Curt pitching.
The boys love their Millennium Falcon! Santa made a great choice.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Settlemoir Family! We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did too.

Santa landed the Millennium Falcon in our playroom. Here is Cole jumping up and down in joy. Caden (and Curt who remarked that the boys' Falcon is "much cooler than mine was") couldn't believe all of its features. Santa also left a fun game, Kerplunk and a couple movies.
Santa stuffed the boys' large stockings with lots of goodies too. Here is Caden trying to shake out his presents.
Here is Cole showing off his requested Spiderman paint book that caused a meltdown in Kohl's just a few weeks earlier.
Let the present opening begin! As predicted, it was a very Star Wars Christmas.
Here is Clone Trooper Cole.
After Round 1 of Christmas Day present opening, Nana and Papa arrived with more presents.
Nana and the boys
The Planet Heroes Solar Headquarters from Nana and Papa was a big hit.
Cole enjoying his Christmas tree sucker from Santa before Christmas dinner
Aunt Shannon (Kelly's sister) and the boys
Here are ALL of the boys enjoying the remote-control motorcycle from Aunt Shannon.
A serious game of Operation--one of many board and video games received by our family
The four of us at the end of a wonderful Christmas Day

Waiting for Santa

We stayed busy in the week before Christmas. The boys were getting very excited for Santa's arrival. Caden and Cole made a gingerbread house with Mommy's help on the main construction. Most of the candy made it onto the house, but both boys were caught sneaking gumdrops. I think Caden is in mid-chew in this picture.
Here are Caden, Mommy, and Cole with the finished product.
Uncle Jason stopped by for a visit. He brought presents, so Caden and Cole were thrilled to open them before Christmas. It had been a year since our last visit, so it was great to spend some time with him. Here are the guys trying to get through the plastic, so the boys can play with the Incredible Hulk and Star Wars characters. Uncle Jason also brought Caden a V Smile Pocket, which is a huge hit.
On Christmas Eve morning, a delicious package arrived at our door. Here is Caden enjoying one of the snowman cookies sent by Kelly's Uncle Brad, Aunt Brenda, Brandon, & Brittany in Maryland. Yum!
We enjoyed our Christmas Eve traditions again this year despite Cole's first ever ear infection. In the late afternoon, we attended our church's Children's Christmas Eve service. Just two years ago, Cole, Curt, and Kelly played Baby Jesus, Joseph, and Mary during the interactive service. Where has the time gone?! After church, we opened our Christmas ornament presents and watched a Christmas show. We were ready for Santa!

Here is Caden with his treats for Santa (red velvet cookies and chocolate milk with a candy cane) and his reindeer (a carrot and oatmeal with sprinkles). Cole is not in the picture because he was in the middle of a meltdown. He was afraid that Santa would eat all of the cookies. FYI, the beer was not left for Santa. He was driving after all. :)
One last check of NORAD's Santa Tracker before heading to bed--If I remember right, Santa was in Canada. Amazingly, the boys fell asleep quickly. They were so excited!