The Cadena Kids 

Ava has a boyfriend!

Tonight was volleyball night outdoors at some friends of ours community center, Gabe and Nicole. Ava has taken a real liking to Gabe and I just find it so fascinating since she rarely goes to males. But as soon as Gabe is around all I hear is, "Gaaabbe" or "where Gabe go?". It's so very adorable and I think Gabe gets a little tickled by it too. I've tried explaining to her that Gabe is a married man but I don't think she cares too much. It's ok though, Nicole isn't much of the jealous type anyway;-).


New words:
miss you (I miss you)
greenbean
buiii bui (butterfly)

Love
Rhobin

OK, now that's just creepy

Hey mom, doesn't this little guy have a striking resemblance to someone we used to know???



Love
Rhobin

No thank you, I'll pass

As I was driving Tyler to t-ball yesterday he asked me, "Will we see the baby soon?". I said, "what baby?" He said," The one in your tummy". I explained to him there was no baby in my tummy to which he replied with a "Yes there is" to which I said, no there isn't and then he says "Why?" (not a surprising question coming from a 4 year old). I told him that mommy and daddy hadn't made one yet. He thought that was hilarious and said, "But I thought God made babies". *SIGH* Is it really time for "the talk" already? I told him with help from mommies and daddies, God can make babies. "Oh and your tummy isn't big enough either, that's why".

Ava's newest words:
Sissy- This is what she calls MY sister now (Alyssa)
yogurt
I love you- all you hear is the you part though
cereal
tea (no she doesn't drink tea, but I have green tea everyday)
ice
SpongeBob (ya I know, what a waste of a new word)
Oh and we can't forget Patrick ( I refuse to post a link to anything SpongeBob related, besides if you don't know who SpongeBob and Patrick are you are really out of the loop, but consider yourself lucky)
Dora
Boot (Boots from the cartoon Dora the Explorer)

Love
Rhobin

going to start posting Ava's new words with every post

New word 06/28/05
towel

Tyler quote of the day:

When Mikey told Tyler he needed to go brush his teeth the other day because he was stinky, Tyler responded, "I'm not stinky, you are just smelling yourself!". Being that he was completely serious made the matter that much funnier.

Funniest moment with Tyler:
When Ava was just born (about 3 weeks old) we went shopping at North Star. Since it was right after the holidays the store was in shambles (as anyone who has shopped at North Star after the Internationals leave you know what I mean). We were at Foley's in the Juniors dept and there were clothes EVERYWHERE. Tyler was barely over 3 years old and since Ava was occupying the stroller he was walking. He kept picking up hangers and such and I kept telling him they were dirty and to drop them. Then I hear him say,"Mommy, look what I have". Without turning around and sure that he had another hanger I told him to put it down. Then I turned around to see him dragging a manaquin leg. Yes, a WHOLE manaquin leg that at the time was bigger than he was. I have no idea where the rest of her was or where he found the leg but he must have thought that it was a pretty cool store where you could buy mommies in pieces you pick and take them home. Obviously he would start with a mommy with nice legs. It was the funniest thing watching him with both arms wrapped around the thigh of that leg with the toes dragging on the floor behind him. I was laughing so hard I about peed my pants. An older couple walking by got a serious of the case giggles as I am sure they could never say they were walking in a mall when they saw a little man carrying a manaquin's leg. I will never forget that site as long as I live. My guess is he will be a leg man.

As for Ava, well she always has me laughing. As I sit here recalling my funniest moments with them she is accessorizing with my underwear. She pulls them out of the drawer and holds them up as if she's thinking, "Hmmm, I wonder if these will fit". Then she slips them around her neck and sometimes around her arms like a backpack. Now she is putting my bra on top of her head and suddenly images from the movie Weird Science is flooding back to me. Tyler has now joined in the fun, but let's not tell Daddy about that;-).



Love
Rhobin

This weekend and more words

I am listing all of the words that are in Ava's vocabulary more for my own account then anything.......

06/22/05
Momma
Dadda
Bubba
TyTy
DJ
Lucy
side (outside)
wimming (swimming)
duck (and quack quack quack)
No
Yes
tay (okay)
tant chu (thank you)
night night
dog dog
bear
baby
ball
apple
bananna
papa (eat)
PaPa (grandpa)
Mon Mon (grandma)
bye bye
heooo (hello)
blocks
stroer (stroller)
bra et (braclet)
bir (bird)
hair
head
hand
ear
eye
feetsie (feet)
hand
nose
toes
shoe
book
juice
milk
wawa (water)
luna (moon and balloon)
nice
cola (color)
boo (blue)
red
orange
purple
hot
cold
bath
craka (cracker)
fruit
Jay Jayyyyyy (Jay Jay, the jet plane, it's a cartoon)
bue coo (blue's clues)
hone (phone)
ouch
cheese
dipa (diaper)
rock
Come on
choo choo (train)
mooooo (moo for cow)
abbit (rabbit)
mou mou (mickey mouse)
pane (plane)
flowa (flower)
poon (spoon)
tar (star)
poo poo
pee pee
teeth
bug
Elmo
fish
tiger
bellybutton
AJ (our dog)
ess you (bless you)
wing (swing)
butt butt
tinky (stinky)
ewww
bath
Boohbah (another PBS cartoon, freakishly weird...they walk around making farting noises, a man must have come up with this one.)
star

Added as of 06/25/05
nana (Anna)
Gigi (Mikey's grandma)
Yeah! (on a car trip to Austin we asked "would you (the kids) like to watch a movie?" Ty responded with a big "YEAH" and she was soon to follow)
Yay!

06/26/05
Gabe (friend of ours)
Cay ee (Caylee, a baby friend of Ava's)
pool

06/27/05
Where are you?





That's all I can remember for now.

She also had her 18 month appt today. She is 22 1/2 pounds (up 1 1/2 pounds from her 15 month appt) and 31" tall (up 1 1/4" from her 15 month appt). Her potty training interest has come to a stop, at least for now and I am not pushing her. If she wants to do it she will, I dont want to frighten her away. The doctor was very impressed at her previous successful attempts but said until she wakes consistently with a dry diaper, can tell me she has to go potty (which she was doing) and can pull her pants up and down by herself (almost has this mastered) then she isnt ready. I'll let her tell me when she is ready, I'll watch for the signs like I did with Tyler but am wishful that she trains earlier than he did.

This weekend was a busy one. Saturday morning we got up at 6:30am to make Tyler's 8am game. It was his first t-ball game ever and boy was it chaotic. I volunteered to help coach so I didn't get to see him bat as I was preoccupid with getting about 12 4 year olds in batting order. It was fun but TOO early. After his game we drove up to Georgetown to visit Mikey's dad for Father's day. It was a nice get together and the kids had a blast swimming all day. Everyone was blown away by how well my baby girl was swimming. She is actually swimming underwater using her hands and legs to propel herself to me all the while holding her breathe. It really is an amazing site.

Then Saturday night we drove to my Dad's in Spring Branch and stayed the night at his new gorgeous home. Sunday Gloria and Kurt came over to my dad's and we grilled shark, flounder and chicken. Then we bumped around the volleyball (Mikey, my dad and I). I have never laughed so hard. Dad, you are entertaining to say the least.

Monday we had to drive up to Austin for a volleyball tournament for Mikey's work, what a bummer that was. We lost our first game so that put us into the losers bracket where we lost our second game.......SOOOO an hour and a 1/2 drive for nothing. Oh well, at least the guys got to drink some beer and we all got free food. Yep you heard right, free food. Just what I need. Thanks Gloria for watching the kids for us.

Love
Rhobin

Sports fanatics

As soon as we got back in town from Florida Tyler had his end of season party at Kidszone where he recieved his second soccer trophy.



Now that soccer is over t-ball has started. I wanted to put him in swimming lessons because I believe it is a more beneficial skill to have but he begged and begged so he got to join. Only stipulation is that he has to take swimming lessons from me now. He does look so cute in those little pants though.



Ava has become quite the little fish. She stands on the last step that she can reach on in the pool and huffs and puffs three times and then catches her breath and then jumps into the water where she tries to swim to me the whole while staying completely submerged. Then I grab her and bring her up after a few seconds and she comes up laughing. I tell her "kick, kick, kick" while she is underwater but I have no idea if she can hear me. She loves it.

P.S. Papa Kurt and Mon Mon, she loves Tyler's hamburger book you gave him.



Love
Rhobin

Florida pics

Ok, a few of the Florida pics you thought I would never get to.......(I only took the disposable camera to the parks and kept my digital at the cabin, so sorry, no actual Disney pics, I'll get around to scanning those in one day)

This was the first night we got there. I got to meet up with a few girls from my message board (All of us have babies that were due in December 2003)

Lt to Rt
Julie, Me, Scarlett and Jennifer



This is Ava eating a marshmellow at the movie and camp fire we had at our resort with Chip and Dale



Ava swimming at Uncle Fred, Aunt Bobbi and Madison's house



My silly grandparents



Me, Mikey and Ava



This is at the Tampa airport on the way back home. Thank goodness for this play area is all I have to say.






And thats all for now. More to come once I scan them in.

Love
Rhobin

Big news in the Cadena House!

Would you believe me if I told you that Ava has started potty training??? Yep. It's true. She's had a lot of interest in sitting on the potty with her clothes on and following us in when we go in but a few days ago when I was going to give her a bath she said potty so I put her on and she went! Now, she doesn't tell me everytime, only a few times a day really but hey, it's a start! Ty had NO interest what's so ever at this age. In fact he was 3 1/2 by the time he stopped wearing diapers completely. Here's to praying that this isn't a phase and it's the real deal.

Oh, and of course a picture at Ava's expense (she will hold this against me one day).......



Love
Rhobin

Mommy VS Spider Man and the Easter Bunny

After a short duration of mutant/fictional character confusion.......



The two decide to join forces to battle the evil mommy.......



The Bunny Mutant even used her laser eye aparatus to no avail......



The evil mommy has yet to be conquered.

To be continued...........

Love
Rhobin

We are home!

Actually we've been back for a while now but I have been so lazy. I actually JUST finished unpacking the last bag today and we have been back since the 25th :-0! Our trip to Disney was memorable and unforgetable. Something I will cherish forever. Anyhow, I have plenty to do around the house so I will write an entry soon with tons of pics from our trip.

Love
Rhobin