The Cadena Kids 

Is my girl obsessed with the Disney Princesses or what?

She has been asking me for about 3 days straight when we are going to "Tinderella's castle". Guess that means we'll just have to make another trip to Disney ;-).

A few nights ago I had her sitting on the counter so I could brush her teeth and she heard a princess commercial come on in our bedroom. Her eyes got about as big as golf balls, her lips made that perfect little "o" and she leaped off the counter as I tried to catch her but she was off as soon as her feet the ground. Can you say OBSESSION?

Tyler once had a vocabulary of his own, as some of you may remember. The words were so cute, like calling freckles "angos". The other day he pointed to his freckles, one on each arm and said, "Look mommy, I have two nickles!". I miss those days of made up words, they aren't so common anymore but I guess it wouldn't look good on my part if I sent him off to school calling his pinky toe his "lil bitty wiggly". That just wouldn't be cool.

Love
Rhobin

update on the princess bed saga and more

Things are reversed from what I planned. She now wants to sleep at night time in the crib and naps in her princess bed. That is fine with me as long as she is napping! Yesterday she took a pretty good nap and I was so relieved. I so didn't want another day like the day before. If I call any of the princesses just a princess I am quickly corrected with a "no mommy, that's Tinderella" or Peeping Beauty or Snow Wipes. This girl loves her princesses! It's cute but she's just as tough and "boyish" as Tyler is sometimes. Of course he likes to put her "tinderella" shoes on just to tick her off at times.

Tyler is SO into Star Wars..... We went to a super bowl party and there he went up to a friend of ours and talked to her about Star Wars and told her he had the number 5 one and asked if she wanted to come over and watch it with him. I don't think I've ever seen him so into anything like this before. At one point in the night he found the cutest blonde(she is around 22) there and plopped right down next to her and had the longest conversation. His mannerisms were so cute, he had one leg crossed over the other with one hand on his ankle and the other on his knee, he looked so grown up. She then tried to get a pic of him with Ava and another little girl there and he fingered her over and whispered in her ear, "If I do this for you, you can't tell anyone". He didn't want "the guys" watching the game to see him sitting next to the other little girl. So he went under the table with the two of them, sat in the middle and put his arm around each one. Typical man, can't show his sensitve side around the guys. She got a really cute pic. He came from under the table saying, "did any of the guys see me?". What's next, cooties?


Tyler's new phrase to add to his own vocabulary:
"the soap is already scrubby"- This is when you pick up the soap and the underside is still wet and slippery.

My third favorite man was on Oprah yesterday, Tim McGraw.



Mmmm Mmmm Mmm! Need I say more?

Love
Rhobin

The princess needed artwork to coordinate with her bedding

So what was I to do but paint some!










Love
Rhobin

Our first big night

And we made it! Around 11pm she fell out of bed, then she had to go potty, which she did. She tossed and turned for a while after that but eventually she fell back asleep. Of course the proud momma had to get a pic of her asleep in the big girl bed........



And I couldn't forget my little sleeping prince........



Love
Rhobin

Movin on up

We got Ava a new bed, a "princess bed" as she had been requesting. I thought I'd wait a little while before setting it up since I didn't want her to give up naps yet. She has been asking for it every morning and today I broke down and set it up. I decided to leave her crib up for naps and then we will try nights in her bed. Quarters are pretty cramped for now but once we get the crib out it will look really adorable. For some reason I think today will become an obsticle to keep her in the crib for naps. She's in love with her new bed. In fact, she's been up there lying on it since I got done setting it up.





Here she is lying in her new bed.




Love
Rhobin

A sad, sad day

And a realization for me that my baby boy is getting older. A few days ago he admitted to me that Govel is not real and he was making him up. I, of course, told him it was okay to have invisible friends that no one else saw. I mean I just LOVE Govel stories. Govel has become a part of our family over the years, an invisble part, but nonetheless, a part of us. I will be sad to see him go.

If Tyler isn't keeping us in stitches, then Ava is. The other day while I was on the phone with my mom Ava asked if we were "going bye-bye today". I told her yes but I still had to take a shower. She asked why (surprising huh?) and I told her because "mommy is stinky". She then proceeded to tell me "Then Mommy need to go poo-poo". Nice.

Love
Rhobin

Things have been quiet around here

Not alot going on around here other than Ava having a bout of illness for awhile. She is better now and I have no idea what it was (diagnosed as strep but I think they mixed her culture up with someone else's). She's still doing wonderful with potty training. She never even has accidents!

She's a persistant little booger. Every day we have to watch The Barbie Nutcracker........she LOVES it! She loves to color and of course wear her princess shoes EVERY DAY, ALL DAY! I had to go to the doctors office with her wearing them in fact. Everyone ohhh'ed and ahhh'ed but they weren't the ones that had to walk at a snails pace while running late so she didn't lose her shoes. Clicky clack, you could hear us a mile away. She's definately a fashion diva, diamond studded glasses and all. Oh and we can't forget that she has to carry her princess backpack too. Wonder where she gets it from???? What a doll she is.

Tyler is learning so much at school. He's learning most of his letter sounds and ready to start reading. He spelled the word "hot" yesterday all by himself. Needless to say, I was very proud. I've always heard that girls are ahead of boys and I believe that saying is correct. My little sister's fine motor skills are AMAZING. She writes very well and is on her way to reading too! I'll attach the latest picture she drew of me growing up, it's adorable. Anyhow, Tyler is a non-stop question asker, alot of which I have no idea to answer. I am SO not technilogically saavy so I had no idea how to explain to him how those cell phone towers work! I had explained that the signal goes from one phone to the tower and then to the other phone and how our voice travels in waves that you can't see, but really I have no idea what I am even talking about! And I hate to tell him that regardless of the fact that he thinks I know everything (because mommies do, you know!) that I really don't have an explanation for everything. When I was little I just think I accepted things for face value. After my explanation of the phone towers he said, "I still don't understand". It was then that I had to tell him, putting my ego aside, that I really don't either. Ahhh, kids.

Love
Rhobin

My BIG girl!!!!

If you could only see the sheer joy on my face right now, you would just be able to know simply by looking at the goofy grin I walk around with that my baby girl is potty trained. Yes, that's right I said POTTY TRAINED! A full year and a half before I had Tyler potty trained, or I should say, a full year and a half before Tyler decided to potty train. I've always heard that girls do everything sooner than boys, well I have my proof. I still put her in diapers at night but for naps, she sleeps in her little pretty princess undies and wakes up dry.

Of course, she thinks she is the mom in this relationship and when I go to the bathroom she is not far behind (once you have children there is no such thing as privacy) where she cheers me on. It goes like this, "Yay Mommy! You went pee-pee! Yay!" all the while clapping.

Love
Rhobin

The past 2 years

I forgot to add this part to Ava's birthday message.........

My baby grows up

My baby is two today

I can't believe only 2 short years ago I held a new life in my arms that we created. Who knew then that she would turn out to be so strong willed and loving (most of the time).


You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me hap-py when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away.

That was the only song that seemed to always sooth you when you were just born. I remember when rocking you, changing you, feeding you, swaddling you all failed and I was so tired I'd sit down and sing "you are my sunshine" and instantly you'd stop crying. I'd look at every detail on your gorgeous face and sing it over and over again. I sang it from the day I met you and will continue to sing it to you until it embarrasses you and you tell me to stop. You will always be my sunshine.

All the things I love about you

The way your hair curls around my finger
your gorgeous, I'm so jealous I don't have them, lips
your pudgy thighs
your big doe eyes and long eyelashes
your soft skin
the way you sing ABC's (from A-R and then W,Y,Z)
because you are MY girl
the way you twirl in front of the mirror when you wear a dress
your smooches
the way you sometimes lie your head in my lap
how you have to be surrounded by all your babies when you go to sleep
how you sing
because you are just SOOOO girly and yet tomboyish at the same time
the way you eat your oatmeal in the morning
the way you persistantly ask me day after day for gum even though you have no idea what it is
your little hands
your cute toes
the way you smell after a bath
patting your diaper butt
the way you say "I love you too"
your desire to be independent and yet your ability to show me that I am still so very wanted by you
your giggles
the way you talk on your pretend phone
the attention you get from passer bys just because you are SO DARN CUTE!
your ponytails
the way you fend for yourself among the "big kids"
the way you have to wear shoes, even if they are not yours
how you lightly run your hands over my arm or leg
how intelligent you are
our little conversations


And more than anything, just because you are you.


Happy Birthday baby girl. I love you.

Love
Mommy