Happy March

Here are a few pictures from over the last number of weeks:

Cade's first dental appointment went super! We kind of prepped him a little that he needed to climb up in the chair, open wide, and hold still. So when we were called back he walked right up to the chair and said, "Gotta climb up in the chair!" He did great during the exam, and then immediately asked for his special toothbrush. The dentist got the box of kids' brushes out and he picked a Cars toothbrush. Right when we got home he asked me if he could brush his teeth. It's still a struggle at times, but since our trip to the dentist's office he's been much better at brushing.

Something we've started doing when we can is going to the kids workshops that Lowe's holds every second or third Saturday morning. Cade likes putting on the apron and goggles and building whatever the project of the day is.We went to a hockey game in Evansville with our friends Derrick and Allie. Cade doesn't yet understand that he really shouldn't smile when he's being held by a Red Wings fan, but he still has time to learn. Here's Cade with the mascot.I've been traveling a lot lately. Here's a picture of a pretty cool central Florida sunset (of course the picture doesn't do the real thing justice) and one of downtown Chicago one night right after takeoff.

One of our favorite things to do with Cade in Bloomington is to go to a place called the Wonderlab. Cade's always been a fearless climber, and now he's big enough to climb the Grapevine Climber. This thing is over two stories high and goes from the floor to the ceiling on the second floor. The staircase winds around it so you can stay fairly close to your kiddo. He was by far the youngest kid in the climber (it's designed for kids four and older), and I was especially proud when another parent would comment on how well he climbed for a little guy. He actually got quite a few comments that day. :) Here's the view from the second floor looking down.

And here he is all the way at the top!

I have a nerf gun that I bought a couple summers ago for a youth game at the church. Cade has since found it and figured how to load and fire it. Our rule is that he can't shoot at people or pets, and he generally follows that rule pretty well. But he doesn't always hit what he's shooting at so it's imperative to stay alert when he's playing with it.

In other news, Susie is doing a great job of progressing toward her Ph.D., having just scheduled her defense date. So if you think of it between now and April 18th, say a prayer for her as she pushes to finish up the writing portion of her dissertation (or ishertayshun, as Cade says) and begins to prepare for her defense. She's working hard and is almost done! We're all very excited for her.