Caden recently came into the position (thanks to Great Grandma) of a 24 volt John Deer Tractor (with a trailer, not shown). I can’t wait to put him to work (once he figures out how to drive it)!
Category Archives: Caden Charles
Give me a Boost!
Caden is in need of a boost! He decided weeks ago that he was too big for the high chair and wanted to see in the grown up seat. Of course the problem is he sits too low to the table so he sits on his knees or wants to stand, which we don’t want him to do for fear of him just jumping out of the chair. He is a boy!
So a quick search on Amazon and I found a booster seat that was perfect for him and well my sense of humor. It was only $20 which was cheaper than some of the others we found. It is made out of foam and all of the reviewers said the same thing, “the graphic top does peel off, but the foam itself is durable and the seat is still comfortable.” We figured it would work even if the lettering does come off.
UPS delivered it 3 days ago and Caden has loved it so far.
Caden’s Nap
Last week, Caden was home all week with a virus. Of course by Wednesday he was feeling better, very little fever, so he didn’t think he needed an afternoon nap.
This of course didn’t stop me from trying to make him take a nap!  After about an hour of him playing in his bed, I went to check on him and saw that he had thrown everything out of his bed and onto the floor.
Of course, I went to get the camera instead of just going in to get him out of the bed.
The next day, Jennifer stayed home with him in the afternoon. He did the exact same thing with all of his stuff, but he added his clothes to the pile. Yes he was completely naked! Please note that I said that he only added his clothes to the pile, not his diaper. Caden knew the diaper was suppose to go in the Daiper Champ, which is where he tried to throw it after taking it off! Sorry no photos from Thursday! My Mom had told me this was coming, and so it did! ha!
Outside!
Here is a quick, funny Caden story:
Jennifer picked Caden up from daycare last week and heard this story. Caden and his classmates were eating gram crackers and apple sauce, which Caden loves so much he usually asks for seconds. He wasn’t finished with his first helping when he heard the teacher ask another child that was finished if he wanted to go outside. Caden instantly stopped eating and said, “All Done! Done! Outside! Outside!
Bonus Story: In a related story, Caden was sick on Monday stayed home. After he was dressed for the day and before Jennifer left, he brought us his socks to put on. We put them on him. He then disappeared and returned with his shoes (matching shoes at that) and wanted to put them on also. Jennifer and I suspect that he was trying to give us a clue that he wanted to go outside, although we might be wrong, ha!?
Vacation! Vacation! Vacation! Part III
Part III, the final installment of our Disney Trip:
Animal Kingdom:
We believe Caden enjoyed this park more than any of the others. We think this because we heard him talk the most in this park while just wheeling him around in the stroller. Kilimanjaro Safaris, by far is the most fun, riding through the reserve seeing the animals. Our ride was delayed because there were animals in the path of some of the vehicles in front of us.
We took our first photo with a character at Animal Kingdom, with none-other than Stich, probably one of the scarier looking characters. Caden’s reaction… he wanted to touch his nose.
There were a number of Jungle Treks, where we just walked through and looked at birds, hippo’s tigers, etc. We also took the Wildlife Express Train to the petting zoo, which Caden really liked. We got Fast Passes to Everest but after a long wait in a food line, then lunch, we decided to go back to the resort to give Caden a little down time before we met friends, Scott, Shelly, and Jackson Bokash (who live in Orlando) at Downtown Disney at T-Rex for supper
More on Downtown Disney
Our mistake with Downtown Disney was not bringing a stroller.  Caden got a little heavy to carry around, so we didn’t do a lot of shopping. We had also been to Downtown Disney a couple of nights earlier with mom. We ate at the Rain Forest Cafe that night. On the bus ride back to the resort that night, Jennifer and Caden sat next to a couple who’s little girl was not happy about something and we could tell. Caden started giggling some time during the trip to the resort, the full belly giggle that just makes you want to laugh, or at least smile, come on, you know you just cracked a smile? Anyway, by the time we got back to the resort, the little girl had swapped places with her dad so she could be next to Caden and “experience” him first hand, and she was in a good mood when we arrived at Pop Century.
Epcot
We got to Epcot a little late the one day we went to the park. We still did a lot, though! In Living with the Land we took a boat tour and saw some of the cutting-edge technology they are using to grow food. This tour is one of my favorites! It makes me want to go home and work in my green house and yard more than I currently do (which is not enough).
Imagination with Figment, Caden really loved this attraction, not the ride as much as the activities to do at the end of the ride. Below he is walking over squares that light up and make noise when they are stepped on. He ran around for a while in this area.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends, was a new attraction that we had not been on before. Caden took a power nap while we were in line and through the ride the first time. The second time he rode it, we heard him say “fish” a lot. It is a really neat ride. We also tried the Turtle Talk with Crush, which is an interactive show, but he was too tired to sit still, so we bailed. We, wisely sat close to the doors so we could do just that in case of a possible meltdown.
Spaceship Earth had also been renovated since the last time Jennifer and I were there and it was pretty neat too. I think Caden enjoyed it also because it moved slow and there was lots to look at through the ride.
Our only regret at Epcot is that we didn’t get to ride Soarin’ which is one of the most amazing, beautiful, relaxing rides that I’ve ever ridden. A lady from Brooklyn we were talking to one day on the bus, put it best when she said, “If I wasn’t religious, that ride would have been a religious experience!” We agree. You see, smell, and even “feel” California from a hang glider. It by no way, is a thrill ride. The music is beautiful as well as the scenery. Caden would not have been able to go on the ride, and since the Fast Pass machine was already empty for the day we decided to skip it. Next trip, for sure!
Other Tips We Learned:
On past trips we usually would carry a bag with us into the parks, with water, medicine, raincoats, snacks, etc. In truth, it was a diaper bag, but we would never admit that until we had kids. A couple of trips back, we went with Trey and Stephanie Greer and the bag affectionately became known as “The Magic Bag.”
This trip, we decided to retire the “magic bag” and to use a really nice backpack we had received for free a while back. It is a Kelty backpack, and I highly recommend them. If not it, a very comfortable backpack. This one has so many straps, that the day we had it loaded down with everything, it was very comfortable to bring with us.
Strollers — The weirdest question I was asked when I rented the stroller for the week was if I wanted to buy it, which would have been cheaper. The question confused me so much so, that I didn’t ask any more questions and we just rented. I wish I had asked more on how did that work? Do I get to use it next time I’m there? Surely I don’t take the stroller with me? I’ll admit, this was the first day we had gotten to the park and we couldn’t get to the attractions fast enough!
I do wish we had brought a stroller for the resort and Downtown Disney. We know for next time!
Photos that we took are here! (just in case you missed them in the last blog, the Photo Pass photos are here.)