A long one

I am thinking about Caden today, and thought that while I'm at it, I'll add all the pictures that I need to do something with for my family history! (I am so behind!)

Was it just last week that we had all this snow?!  Thankfully we have been having a good melt around here, and I can now see some driveway.  I had to catch this picture the other day, though.  I was watching out the window as the kids headed down the driveway to wait for the bus and saw what Caden was doing and thought, "how typical."  He was shuffling/dragging his feet along to clear a path through the new snowfall so that Kami, who was in flats, and following in his tracks, wouldn't get cold and wet.

Caden spoils us all !  This was a time that I was trying to get something done and he took Abram and held him so that I could.  He's a pleaser and often jumps in and does things like this just because he can see my frustration. I often find him doing things that I have asked his sisters to do, and he wants to do it for them just to be nice.  Last week he came running back into the house after he and Kami had left for the bus and ran into the music room.  After a few minutes I told him that he'd better hurry or he'd miss the bus.  He started stressing out and said, "I have no idea which piano books are Kami's!"  He's always running other people's errands - including my own. (BTW, I had Kami get in the house and find her own books.)

Caden and Abram

Nolan and Caden

Cade waited a long time for little brothers (he was eight when Nolan was born).  I thought that once he had them the novelty would wear off, but Nolan is now 3 1/2 and he still enjoys him and spoils him rotten and spends every extra moment with him.  He plays games with the little boys, frequently comments on the cute things they say or are doing and helps them get dressed, eat, or whatever.

This is a picture of Caden reading to Josiah, Jarom, (my sister-in-laws kids) and Isabelle and Nolan when Leslie came up to help me paint our new house.

"Helpful" is definitely a word to describe Caden.  And boy am I glad that he has tagged along with his dad so much, because he has saved me many times when his dad hasn't been here to help me out.  Last week I noticed that the air in one of the tires was low and called Shawn to see what to do. (That may be pathetic to some of you, but, yes I am pathetic about things like this).  Shawn just said, "Ask Caden to put some air in it.  If he has any trouble, have him give me a call."  Sure enough, Caden knew where the air compressor was, what an air compressor is, knew how to attach all the gadgets and fill the tire with air. Lately after he helps Shawn with something, Shawn comes in and says, "Caden is a real help now!"

fishing at mom and dad's

A bird he found and caught while huckleberrying

 Caden has always loved nature and I thought I'd throw these pictures in because green looks so very lovely at this time of the year! Ahhh. Lazy summer days! And as I said in the last blog, he loves to grow things.  He has been at me for the last couple of days to get an order in the mail for his very own dwarf patio orange that he plans to grow inside his room during the winters.  He enthusiastically says, "wouldn't it be awesome to have a snack right outside my door and I could just step out and eat one right before I went to bed?!"

Last year Cade made a bug collection because he saw one that my little brother had made for a school class and wanted one of his own. Cade likes "brainy" things and this is how his room is decorated:

Cade's bug collection that he made

These are directly above his grow light - plant anatomy picts. made by me:)

I love Cade's enthusiasm for learning and knowledge.

Today I'm thinking about Caden because he left for school so delighted because he's in a chess tournament and has won twice and if he wins his match today he will place!  He has brought this up several times since he got home yesterday and I find this to be so endearing.  I told him that it was too bad his Great Grandpa Kerns wasn't around to give him more chess practice and coaching. (Or at least one of my brothers that he taught.  A small hint to Nathan and Aaron for the next time we're all together!) Anyways, grandpa was THE MASTER!

Good luck, Caden.  But mostly, continue to find interest in life.