Happy NINTH Birthday Kaden (best day ever!)

It's official...my firstborn is NINE!  Wow!  Next year is double digits!  I wish he would slow down a little bit! It seems like just yesterday I was rocking him in the middle of the night wishing and praying that he wouldn't grow up too fast.  

Jeremy had to leave on the day before his birthday for a work trip to Malaysia, so we started celebrating early.  Monday night Jeremy took the boys to a movie, Megamind.  

Wednesday night was when we decided to let him open his gifts from us and then go out for supper and have cake.  Hudsen worked really hard on a picture for Kaden's birthday.  That was his gift to his big bro.

Kaden was very gracious and gave Hudsen a great big hug.  I love seeing our boys like this.

Kaden loves the book Hatchet so he has his own copy now.  He also got some new Star Wars Legos and a subscription to Sports Illustrated Kids.

Jeremy was telling me that one of his favorite birthday memories as a kid was when his parents tied his presents to string and hid them all over the house.  He had to follow the string to each present.  

We did this for Kaden's big gift.  Here are the boys following the string throughout the house:

The string ended in the linen closet in the upstairs.  Tied to the box was a little box and in that box was exactly what he had been wanting.  An iPod!  He was SO thrilled!  We got a killer deal on one.  Thank goodness because I was not excited about giving him one.  He will be an "Apple guy" for sure!   How can you not be??? (that's my Apple plug!) Monica and I joke how if they made dishwashers we would buy one!  

That evening we went out for supper to anywhere he wanted to go.  He picked Outback.  We came home and cut into his Hawkeye cake.  I decided to try making his cake this year.  It was actually pretty easy.  It isn't perfect, but it sure did taste pretty yummy!  It was all worth it when I saw this smile:

Jeremy left Thursday afternoon for his big trip.  This is what Malaysia looks like right now:  
Lucky ducky!  He got to sit by this pool at his hotel for a few days when he got there to recover from his 20 hours of flying.  Wish I was there with him...OK, back to Kaden!
The boys, Grandma Blum and I loaded up with Matthew and Monica Friday a.m. to the WI Dells for Kaden's big day.  He didn't have school on his birthday and he was just thrilled he got to go to one of his favorite places on Earth!  We were looking forward to showing Grandma this place we get to go to a few times a year thanks to discovering the best kept secret at the Dells.  One night for 49 bucks which includes 4 waterpark passes!  We love this little hotel and love the deal they offer even more!  It makes it pretty dang affordable for us.  We started swimming and going down the waterslides as soon as we got there.  We all had a blast.   Here is the link to some incredible pictures of the day taken by Monica:
http://thewillitsfamilytribune.blogspot.com/2010/11/best-day-everhope-you-want-to-see-some.html
I love this picture that Monica took of Kaden and Matthew walking out of the amazing Italian pizza place we seem to always end up at when we are in the Dells.  After an amazing meal and dining experience for the boys (and us!, Kaden looked at us and said, "this was the best day ever!"  What's better than that????? 

My mission to not have him dwell on missing his dad on his birthday had been accomplished!  These are the days and moments that I am SO thankful that I get to be a mommy to these amazing kiddos of mine!  

November 8th, 2010

Today is my grandpa's birthday.  He went to heaven 8 years ago, on Kaden's first birthday.  I still think of him almost everyday.  He was the kindest, gentlest, most patient, and most loving man I have ever met.  He served in the Navy in World War II.  He is an example of how I would love my sons to grow up to be.  I think about how much joy he would get by watching my kids grow up.  He knew Kaden for a year and just adored him.  He was a very proud great grandpa.   I am certain he is another one of our angels that is watching over us...

This picture was taken while he was stationed on Tinian Island, which is where the base was where the US launched their atomic bombs on Japan during WWII.  This plane he is standing by in the picture is the "Bockscar" which dropped the nuclear weapon "Fat Man" on Nagasaki.  

Until we meet again Grandpa...

Halloween 2010

Our pumpkins this year (Hudsen and Jeremy's on the left and Kaden and mine on the right)  

Two very scary phantoms and one sweet little Care Bear!  (She was afraid of her brothers, she would barely even stand by them, so this was the best picture I could get of all three of them!)

The boys' eyes were really cool how they lit up off and on.  

Addie tried to keep up with her big bro!  Her first trick or treating at David and Karen's:

Our neighbors Sean and Julia take pictures of the kids every year and count how many trick or treaters they get.  Last year it was over 100!  

 The boys always love to find their picture on the board.  

Adalyn and her little buddy Landon

They lasted about an hour riding in their strollers trick or treating.  

Addie's two new words of the day are "candy" and "sticky"  

Hmm...I wonder why?

Paris Day 7

Our last full day in Paris.  So sad to leave yet SO excited to get back home and get back to normal.  I missed my kids, my house, my town.  Basically my life!  That is the great thing about traveling I think.  You appreciate your life and where you are from so much more.  I experienced that even when I travelled to Texas in February.  Does that mean I am right where I am meant to be?  I believe I have been blessed with the gift of contentment.  I love exactly where I am right now.  
So, our last day in Paris consisted of me shopping and Jeremy working.  Sound familiar? He left early again and I got up and got ready to tackle the Metro on my own.

By the end of our trip, I had the Metro all figured out!  I got to the Louvre metro stop and started shopping.  I got some little things for the boys and also a little dress for Addie at a big department store where NO one spoke English.  I was a tad bit intimidated, but I pressed on!  I also got a few little Paris trinkets for myself.  It was a fun day!  This door caught my eye from across the street on Rivoli Avenue.  

  

(I have a thing for doors)

Jeremy and I went on our last date in Paris around the corner from our hotel.  L'Artoisewas the name of the restaurant.  Definitely our favorite of all time.  It was a tiny little place that was run by an older gentleman (later we found out he was the owner).  He may have been the nicest person in France (hard to come by, by the way!)  Such a personality and did everything to make sure our meal was perfect.  And it was.  Four-course wonderfulness!   

 Adieu Paris jusqu'à la prochaine fois...

Paris Day 6

Day 6 (Wednesday, Oct. 13th) consisted of not much (for me anyway!).  Jeremy left super early to catch the metro and then the city bus to IBM.  He said the commute was a "nightmare".  I think he came away with a greater appreciation of his 7 1/2 minute commute in Rochester!  (There's no place like home!)
I decided to hang around in the room and work on some pictures I had taken on the trip and just lounge around.  It was great!  Later in the afternoon I did get out and did some shopping down the street and also grabbed some lunch. While shopping, I found the very sought-after French salt.    

Oh and I took a big nap!  My poor husband!  Working SO hard so I can shop and nap.  I love my life!
Our date that night consisted of an evening on the top of the Eiffel Tower!  I couldn't wait until he got back from work so we could experience that.  I got all dressed up and waited.  Finally he got back to the hotel, had a quick glass of wine and we were off to one of the best nights ever.  

This isn't the best video, but I don't care.

Jeremy was kind of being a chicken about the whole thing and told me that the second level was as high as he wanted to go.  Well, I wouldn't have any of that!  I talked him into going all the way to the top.  How many times do you get the chance to go to the Eiffel Tower?  

And back on the ground where Jeremy likes to be:

We walked a ways to get this shot:

What a memorable night I'll never forget! Probably our best date night ever! The Eiffel Tower is truly a gem and you really can't appreciate it fully unless you go there and see it in person.  

Paris Day 5...A day of Arcs

Tuesday was a pretty laid back day for us.  Jeremy had to go into work at around 4:00 for a meeting, so we knew we weren't going to have a big day of sightseeing.  He had a complicated commute to get to a co-workers hotel all the way across town and then to IBM Paris.  He had no idea where he was going, so he needed to leave early to make sure he got there in time.  So we just tooled around close to our hotel for the day.

One of our main priorities was to go to our favorite pastry shop, Paul.  They had the BEST chocolate eclairs.  I had a coffee viennois which was awesome and Jer had a few plain shots of espresso.  YUM!   After that, we headed to the  Arc de Triomphe to take the tour.  

  

Well, we got there and we found this posted on one of the walls (read the last paragraph): 

   

The civil workers in France decided to strike and that strike had just started that day.  The workers were mad because the government was going to change the retirement age from 60 to 62!  62...must be nice! So, we just walked around it and took some pics and video.  

I took my life in my hands to take this one.  Crazy European drivers!

Jeremy left for his meeting around 3 and I spent some time alone in the room.  This was a great spot:

And this was a great spot too!

This is where Jeremy was when I was in the tub:

La Défense is the prime high-rise office district of Paris.

The district is at the westernmost extremity of Paris' 10 km long historical axis, which starts at the Louvre in the middle of Paris and continues along the Champs-Elysees, well beyond the Arc de Triumphe before ending at La Défense.

If you look through each arc, you can see the other.  Pretty cool!