Here you go VeeVee!

"Here you go" is one of Cade's recently learned and oft quoted phrases. It sounds more like "hee-go!" I think he picks things up to hand to you just to say that. But this post is for VeeVee who recently reminded me that I haven't put any pictures up in a while. Granddaddy is on a trip and so we figured she's probably lonely since Uncle Billy is gone too: off on his climbing adventure in West Virginia. But she's right. It's been quite a while since I've posted anything except for tweets. It's been so long that I'm going to need two posts to get it all in.

We're currently in Colorado, but the last month has seen us all over the southeast. Cade got to spend a couple weeks in Alabama with VeeVee and Granddaddy, and he had a blast there. So here's the first post of pictures. I hope to get another one up shortly.

Before we left for Alabama we decided to make some cookies. Cade really likes helping no matter if you're cooking, cleaning up, working in the yard, feeding Chili, etc. And lately we've noticed that for the most part he likes to be a pretty tidy little guy. If he spills something he'll try to wipe it up or ask someone else to wipe it up. If he sneezes he'll say, "boogie," to let you know you need to get a kleenex out and wipe his face. And he doesn't normally like a lot of stuff on his hands; he'll ask for a napkin. This next picture is the exact opposite of what I just described. He's trying to help clean up the mixer after making the cookie dough, but I don't think he cares too much that it's also getting all over his face.
Here we are in at the Fort Payne High School graduation for Susie's youngest brother. Congratulations Billy!

Cade was a big partier that night. It was fun to have the whole Brown family together for a couple days to hang out.

Susie's Aunt Fran, Uncle Cliff, cousin Jon, and Jon's son Jacob also came up for the graduation weekend. Jacob and Cade had fun playing together.

VeeVee got a pinata and we had a sort of early second birthday celebration for Cade. If you ever need a storm cellar or bomb shelter, make sure you buy it from the guy who made Cade's pinata. It took Billy and Jon quite a few big swings to break it open.

Cade and I took a hike up through the woods near VeeVee's house. We found a tree that grew up and then took a right turn so it was parallel with the ground. Cade had fun sitting up high. He didn't really want to get down, even when we heard thunder and needed to get back to the house.

He's inspecting something on the ground. Probably a bug. I saw this picture and it reminded me that I no longer have a baby. He looks so much more like a little boy now.

Billy had a graduation party thrown for him by his girlfriend's family out at their lake house. Of course, Chili had the most fun out of all of us. He wasn't quite as fast as Daisy, the resident doggie, but he sure loved being in the water.

This was Cade's first boat ride. He loved it. Susie and I were riding around on a wave runner and he thought it was funny when we'd ride up next to the boat and wave at him.

While in Alabama, VeeVee arranged for Cade to have swimming lessons at the gym where she works. Cade did very well, learning how to kick and jump in.

After his lesson I got to jump in and swim with him. Lately we've been working on holding our breath in the hot tub. In the pool Cade kept asking to "go unnahwatah." He'd say "holdabreath!" Then we'd count to three and bob under for a second or two. What cracked me up was the fact that he'd keep his eyes and mouth open under the water. I guess he figured out how to hold his breath with his mouth open, because he never really came back up hacking or spitting up water.

You can go back to some of my earliest posts and even back then I mentioned how much Cade loved to swing. He still does, and he's so over baby swings. Don't even try to put him in one. This is one of those pictures where I just think about how I thought I had a baby, but he's really a little boy now. He'll be two next week. Wow.

I'll try to get rest of the pictures up in a few days. We've had a lot of fun over the last few weeks so there is a lot to post. I think we're headed to Chuck E Cheese a little later. Cade's never been, so I hope he enjoys it. I know I will. :)

Stay tuned for part 2!