Lots has happened so I'll give the very brief rendition.
Caden turned THREE! I know I'll say this every year but I cannot believe my baby is three. Today I was
journaling about him, trying to really write down all the details that make his little personality so special. It was LONG! I guess that's
Caden though--very hard to nail down. The one word that always does comes to mind when I think of this little boy is EXTREME! He does
nothing down the middle of the road. He is extremely compassionate; He throws extreme {talking hours long} tantrums; He needs extremely little sleep to function {8 hours--the doctor called him a freak of nature}; He has an extreme ability to remember {he'll play rush hour with me once, memorize the moves and then do the puzzle on his own}; He is an extremely picky eater; He is extremely stubborn; He is extremely loving {almost to the point you need a restraining order, "hug, now kiss, now squeeze, now hug again, okay one more kiss."}
True to his personality he had to get his fingers just right before he would allow me to take a picture of his three.
To celebrate his birthday we went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Grandma Jolene gave them a ride on the Elephant. The kids thought it was incredible. Bryan thought his tail bone was broken.
The forecast for the day said zero percent chance of rain. I swear I could be a
meteorologist. It poured half way through the day, leaving the boys shivering and wet. We went home, leaving the tougher Larsen's.
Makayla kept saying how sad it was that
Caden missed his own birthday party.
Caden's {and
Bumpa's} actual birthday was Memorial Day. We went to Green Valley for the Memorial Day service. I stood there holding my shaking baby while the military men fired shots and was filled with gratitude that we live in a country where my children do not have to understand fear on a daily basis. I am so, so thankful for the men and women who serve our country.
I rolled out of bed, brushed my hair, and ran to get the kids to the service in time. 10 minutes flat--you're impressed, I know you are! Good thing I looked super hot because I had my big shinning moment--This picture was in the Mountain Democrat paper. Thank heavens for sunglasses!
That night we celebrate
Bumpa and
Caden's birthdays. Once again let me thank my father in law for blessing me with the gift of going a week over due so that they could share a birthday. You are a gem. :)
But really, I am glad it worked out that way; It's special and will only continue to be more special as
Caden understands that he shares the day with his grandpa. When we were driving home that night he says, "Okay, my birthday's done so now it can be
Bumpa's birthday."
Bryan came up with the genius idea of getting
Caden a
nerf gun. I've regretted every moment since I conceded.
Caden had a great {week long} celebration. Thanks to everyone who made him feel so special--he even got a birthday
skype from his cute future wife Ella in NYC. He ended his b-day clutching his birthday balloons.
I love this picture of Parker with his little feet up in the air. 
I was trying not to be the overprotective mom but after Caden did a side skid and I see Parker with a death grip on Caden's shirt, I thought--yeah, I'm just not that mom. And that was the end, but they sure enjoyed it while it lasted. 
But really, I am glad it worked out that way; It's special and will only continue to be more special as Caden understands that he shares the day with his grandpa. When we were driving home that night he says, "Okay, my birthday's done so now it can be Bumpa's birthday."
