Who Needs Em’!

My blog today focuses on a topic that is often on my mind. Why in the world do we need automatic flushing toilets??? Are there people on earth that don’t know to flush the toilet after you are done using it?? Above the age of 3 that is? I have found them to be ineffective and here is why…
1. They never flush at the right moment. Let me walk you through a typical useage…
-Run upstairs, no girl toilets on my floor, go into said stall *FLUSH* (note: I have not even unzipped yet!)
-Shut the door and turn around *FLUSH*
- Pull down pants *FLUSH*
-Sit *Flush* (now girls we all know that this of course leads to the dreaded wet bum!
-Tinkle, shift to get tissue *FLUSH*
-Reach to drop said tissue *FLUSH*
-Stand and tuck shirt *Flush* pull up pants *FLUSH*
-Open door *FLUSH*
- Door Swings shut *FLUSH*

Now tell me, does this seem like a water conservative piece of equipment. I don’t know about you but sometimes I like to take my bathroom break as a small break. With all the flushing and wet hiney it is hard to relax. There is one instance in which the toilet seems to function normally. This of course is when you are in need of an extra flush…you know what I mean? The 2 ladies from the upstairs office walk in and start to sniff loudly, I can swing my arms around like a banshee, sway like I am on a ship and still that blasted thing won’t flush. It is not until the ladies walk out and I can finish, stand, and find the pen-head-size button to push that the blasted thing will finally flush. Why is this? Is it some kind of joke? Am I on a hidden video camera? What is the deal?

What do you think? Does the world need automatic flushing toilets? They scare children, waste water and worst of all get my butt wet, which spread to the undies and then I am uncomfortable until they dry which, unfortunately, is usually moments before I return to the bathroom. It is a never ending cycle I tell you!

Don’t even get me started on those blasted automatic sinks.. seriously who wants to wave their hands under invisible water trying to hit just the right radius to activate the flow…then can rinse their hands in the 3 seconds of water they give you. and if they do, I don’t want to touch the door knob after them. Tell you what…… I will flush myself and then I can use the water I saved to wash my hands for a proper amount of time!

That is my rant on “advancement” for today let me know what you think!

Kaden Rhodes Boy Genius!

Ok, Genius might be a little strong but our little guy is getting smarter by the day! Here are a few more of his accomplishments and other silly antidotes!
1. Used a spoon all by himself to eat....if you can call it that...yogurt! As you can see he had a great time!BTW...he can also say "yogurt"(will post pics soon)
2. Can climb on a jump off of the ottoman all by himself...don't worry Mama or Daddy catch him!
3. Can say please...most of the time..but still has to be prompted.
4. Says "mine" with gusto!
5. Climbs on his armchair, rides the arm like a horse and then falls onto the pile of pillows that Mommy and Daddy have lovingly places beside the chair. (don't call CPS ok, he loves it! Besides it is only a foot off the ground.
6. Will scream bloody murder when put in his high chair...that is until you hand him a spoon, for some reason this makes everything all better!
7. No longer technically eats in highchair. Tray and leg divider have been removed, seat has been lowered and pulled to the head of the table. He now eats off of his animal paper plate or suction cup bowl.
8. Favorite Foods include Nana's...don't say it if you don't got one!....yogut, coocoos (cookies), eggs, raisins...yes they come out much the way they go in but he loves them!.....milk, juice from a box with a straw..definite favorite!..waffles, french toast, hot dogs (turkey..not weird parts).... And true to his mother he enjoys PEAS...sorry Papa!
9. Likes to wrestle his way into car seat, fight the straps for a while and then gets over it.
10. Loves to be chased...he will pick up something he knows he shouldn't have just so you will chase him!
11. Every time he sees a cell phone he says..."dada" Even if Jon is sitting right there he always thinks it is him. One time when I said no not Dad he said "Sissy"...that's Meg's name
12. HATES having his diaper changed...that boys gonna be potty trained ASAP!
13. Loves to ride in a card board box!
14. Loves being upside down...still
15. Will give kisses....by smacking his lips
16. Waves bye-bye when appropriate or sometimes when he is ready to leave somewhere...it's hilarious!
17. Has gotten two molars and two coinciding ear infections..oh, joy!
18. Hates having his nose/face/hands/butt wiped......ALL BOY!
19. Can repeat most of the alphabet pretty consistently...we have it on video....I will get Jon to load it
20. Loves to tackle Molly!
21. Goes to sleep with 2 songs, a little rocking and a blanket. He is also never in the same spot when I check on him. He is moving and grooving even in his sleep!
22. He blows on his food to cool it off....even if it's not hot. He saw me do it and now does it for everything!
These are just a few fun things we have seen in the past month! He is getting so big and so much more fun everyday!

Feliz Navidad-Secrets Revealed

Ladies and Gents it is the moment you have all been waiting for....ok not all but humor me! The great posting of

The Rhodes family Christmas Card 2007

***Drum roll****

I would like to take a moment to go over a few things with you. We have had some questions and I wanted to clear them up.

1. We are not being racist...the guys in the movie are white...we are white...see no making fun!

2. Yes, we drew on Kaden's mustache with an eye liner...and yes we had to double team and head lock him to do it...hey it is all in the name of fun...***No babies were harmed in the making of this card***

3. Yes, Molly is still with us...and we did in fact...meaning Jon, did in fact morph her into a donkey/burro for the card...but you see there just wasn't any where to put her. So here is the pic for your enjoyment.

4. Yes, my Mustache is supposed to be crooked... At first it was a flook thing. You see we actually bought the mustaches last year but then ended up postponing the Feliz Navidad card until this year. Long story short..the stick didn't stick so we stuck on tape which didn't stick to sweat. I laughed, it slipped.... bada bing bada boom a crooked mustache. In case you were wondering when laughing my eyes shut when I laughed so my genius husband morphed my eyes from another shot to give us the pic you all are enjoying

5. Yes, Jon's mustache is on his finger...and sadly this does have a name..it is called a finger-stache...Google it I am not kidding. One of his former student actually tattooed one of these on...just to be funny. You know if you are going to do something go all the way...that''s the Rhodes' motto.... but the tattooing of a pretend facial feature on one of your digits..too much even for us! However, this does not stop Jon from thinking that it is hilarious and wanting to replicate it with Sharpie whenever possible.

6. No, Kaden's head is not the size of ours...Jon scaled it to make it fit the card...his head is very normally sized..don't be alarmed...

7. No, we do not own 3 Three Amigos costumes. (Though we do have a ridiculous extensive costume collection from college)We did in fact attempt to wear authentic sombreros straight from Mexico but the boy wasn't having it...for those of your who don't know he has an aversion to hats and/or any one wearing them..strange I know...however, hoods don't bother him so much. If you figure it out let me know? Anyway the costumes too were morphed to our bodies through the magic of photo shop.

And finally,

8. No, we didn't choose a larger size photo card this year so that ours would be the most predominant one on your fridge..though now that I think about it..not a bad plan. You see that variety of card had the most ridiculously comical Feliz Navidad effect so that everyone would know that this was all in fun and we were in no way making fun of Mexican/Hispanic traditions/heritage....for further info on this matter see #1

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ode to the Christmas Card Photo

As you know Jon and I have a long standing tradition, ok 4 years, of sending non-traditional but highly entertaining Christmas photos. The theme gets months of planning and carrying it out takes a lot of time and effort...mostly by Jon. In the end we have a cute, funny and fabulous memento for the year. This year's card is no exception and don't worry they will be out this week. As any avid Christmas card photo taker or takee knows the most difficult part is getting your audience to cooperate. Jon and I did quite well the first 2 years, we can look at the camera and smile on cue, easy right...well add a dog and a baby boy and it all changes. Last year the event took about 50 photos. Here is the run down

1. Assemble costumes for three people....homemade Mrs. CLaus...check...elf hat..check...cute Santa suit complete with hat...check..

2. Assemble entire cast in front of the tree. Kaden is happy wearing hat...scratch that....*&$^# is across the room...

3. Get Molly's attention with a treat...she is interested...great...oh wait she is now lunging for the treat held by trusty photographer Sissy...

4. What's that smell??? diaper change needed...Molly leaves the room dropping antlers as she exits. Jon goes to the bathroom and Kaden is screaming and stinky....

5. Lure Molly and Jon back reassemble...Angie's face is turning red from being squeezed by the wig..better make it fast.

6. Choke hold Molly technique goes into effect....see below for how well that worked.

7. Kaden is hungry and screaming...bottle break..

8. Clean spit up off of cute Santa suit

9. Change up the line up Daddy takes baby , mama takes dog.....still not so great.

10. As you can see these looked totally natural and usable....not so much....

11. Photographer is getting a charlie horse and complaining about bending over for so long....whiner..

12. Baby is looking, mama an daddy are set...perfect..click shutter....the deer looked off

13. Dog..good, mama,..perfect..daddy elf-arific..baby distracted....... looks off to check out wind noise......

14. By a stroke of luck the 4 players manage to coordinate looking at the camera.

15.

After some "photo shopping" and patience from Jon, the perfect group photo was created.

In light of these issues with organizing two adults, a 14 month old and a dog we took a different approach this year. I wouldn't dare reveal this years theme but I will tell you that this year things happened differently.

1.Each person was photographed separately

2.Jon works his magic and creates and awesome card.

Sorry to say that Molly did not make the card this year...it simply didn't' work...here is an ode to her!

Please notice that when she wasn't in the group photo she sat nicely and wore the ears with pride!

You decide 15 steps or 2...

For those of you who may have missed out on previous cards here is the countdown..

Last year is above..

2 years ago....

And our very first Christmas card ever....... An old fashioned Christmas

Merry Christmas and watch those mailboxes. When you receive those beautiful cards, display them on the fridge or your mantle but whatever you do don't you dare throw that away....it took a lot of effort!

Sorry don't know how to put it on the side!

Free Counter

Toot Toot, Plop Plop

If you have never experienced the succession of sounds listed above then you are truly missing out. These sounds are exclusive to one event life that is most likely unavoidable. An event that you would rather not witness. An event that you want to leave as quickly as possible. A happening that will haunt your dreams every time you look at the place where it occured. Yes, these four sounds in succession could mean anything, a train is coming and splashed through a puddle, a car horn is honking as the rain drops fall. Unfortunately in my case it was something worse..something gross..something stinky! My sweet precious, blonde hair, blue eyed boy was the culprit, his daddy was the witness and clean up crew and I was in charge of transporting culprit to a new location.


that's right IT WAS
the dreaded......
the terrible....






POOP IN THE TUB!

Thankful

I am thankful for so many things and being the first week in November I thought it would be a great time to start! In no particular order.
1. My Husband! He is crazy, sometimes messy and sleeps odd hours but he is the best! when he plays with Kaden it melts my heart!
2. Kaden's feet! they are so cute and ticklish! He laughs just if you take off his shoes and socks in anticipation of the tickling!
3. Kaden's laugh..what can I say...so so cute!
4. DVR....seriously it is awesome!
5. A job that I love!
6. A fabulous babysitter for Kaden.
7. Instant oatmeal...seriously, it's easy, delicious and i can make it at work if I don' t have time for breakfast at home!
8. My microwave...seriously how did people have time to cook without it! Pre-timed buttons for fresh vegetables, baked potatoes and reheating! Genius! A working mom's best friend!
9. Kaden's belly, it is so cute and ticklish! I can't wait until he can point to it on command!
10. Baby snot sucker....ok Kaden HATES it but when he wakes up and can't breathe it makes it much easier for me to free his breathing! so what if I have to practically put him in a head lock, it works great for the pre-blowing nose phase!!
11. Great Friends! I have so many great friends who have supported us while I was job hunting and who offer up financial and babysitting services as needed! Especially for my sister, AKA Aunt Sissy. She is always there and willing to offer a helping hand. Unless it is a stinky diaper, those she only does if she is the only one there.She is the best! 12. Jon's brain. He comes up with the greatest ideas. He is so creative and once he has it in his head to do something there is no stopping him! You can thank him for the birth announcement, birthday card and yearly Christmas card. I sometimes have the ideas but he makes it happen!
13. Hot showers! I have the hardest time getting out of the shower! I can actually get dressed, do my make-up and hair in less time than I spent in the shower...sad huh???
14. Pillows! I sleep with at least 3...4 if I can manage to wrestle them away from Jon. Two under my head, (one must be my memory foam) one to snuggle with in front and one behind my back! Ah, Paradise! Good thing we have a king size bed!
15. Having no laundry...ok it rarely happens but it is nice to feel organized!
16. Freshly vacuumed carpet. Looks so nice and fur free!
17. I am thankful that even though Kaden will sometimes (like this morning) fight me when it comes to eating breakfast, that he will eventually (when we are already 10 minutes late) decide he wants to finish off the whole bowl! Thank you flexible job!
18. Rain. I love the smell, the sound and napping in the rain! I love cuddling on the couch and watching a movie while the rain pours down outside!
19. Movies, they are so fun. Even if they are stupid....trust me I have seen my share....they bring laughter, joy and an escape from the everyday worries of life!
20. Hugs! Whether quick, long or from your one year old while he falls asleep there is nothing better than a hug!

Happy Birthday Jon!

I know I am a little late but wanted to dedicate a post to my favorite husband Jon! On Sunday he turned 27, finally catching up to me in age ;) I wanted to let everyone know, that didn't already know, that he is the greatest! He makes us laugh, he works hard and he loves us more than anything! Sometimes he leaves his clothes on the floor but I wouldn't trade him for anything! This is our 9th year of birthdays celebrating together. I hope we have 99 more! I love you the most babe!

Harvest Hopper

** Please note photos have not been downloaded but will be added ASAP**
Tonight is Halloween and if we are able to attend the 2 events that we are planning on attending Kaden will have attended 8 fall fun festivals, had 3 pony rides, 4 hayrides, 2 petting zoos, 1 real zoo and played about 15 carnival games! That means he has gotten to wear his costume 7 times! Jon says he probably just thinks it is part of his rotation of clothing now. October has been a fun busy month. I am all about a free festival and we have hit up as many as possible! Last night we found out that Kaden is a bit of a carnival game prodigy. He was playing bean bag toss, bowling, duck game, and even rode a roller coaster. Ok a little one, but he loved it! He didn't want to stop playing the pick and egg game and was a champ at choosing a lollipop off the tree. He really enjoyed the bouncy horses and with a little help kicked 3 soccer balls into the goal at the same time! We were truly impressed with how willing he was to participate in the games. It was fun to watch him! (Mommy and Daddy did share the candy with him that he could actually eat!
He did go in this morning for 4 shots and managed to break through his first lower left molar. Fun day, so we may not make all planned stops tonight. BTW...he is 30 1/4 inches long/tall and a little over 21 pounds. The doctor said he is in the 30% for weight...that's right a Rynders/Rhodes that is under weight! I think the fact that he is constantly moving unless strapped into something contributes largely to this! Everything else looked great!

We do plan on a little trick or treating, just the neighbors and a few friends. I will write more tomorrow and post pics!

BTW...if you live in Abilene be sure and check out KTAB 10:00 news, you just might see someone familiar in the weather segment!

As Time Goes By..

One Day Old

When I was pregnant with Kaden people told me to enjoy this time because it would go by so fast. At the time I didnt' believe them. How can sleepless nights and throw-up go by fast? They were right..my little rag doll is now a little man! This first year has flown by and I have 20 more fun things to add for this month!

1. He uses the word "uh, oh" with great accuracy...though he does often drop things purposefully so that he can say it. Still in that little voice it is so cute!

2. He has started saying "oh, dough," for "oh, no" also precious. Miss Joyce said he yelled it out when the volcano exploded on Land Before Time.

3. He took is 1st, 2nd and 3rd Hayride.

4. He got his first Halloween Costume. By the end of the month he will have worn it 5 times! How's that for gettin gyour money's worth!

5. He still loves books! He will sit and "read" them by himself!

6. He loves to dance with his musical toys.

7. He can say "arf" and "woof" when "talking" to his dog pals.

8. He goes to sleep with just a little wimper now.

9. He loves going for walks in the stroller.

10. He does not like Giant Clifford's. Though he didnt' mind Madeline!

11. If you ask him to go "bye, bye" He will run to the back door and wait for you to open it!

12. If I need to check the mail he will wait by the car at the top of the driveway for me! When I am about half-way back up the driveway he will turn around and run for the door!

13. He loves his Diego toothbrush, but only if he is doing it himself!

14. He stands up the whole time you are bathing him until you turn the faucet on to rinse...he will then promply sit down. It is hillarious!

15. He LOVES his DADDY! (not that he hasn't always) but this month in particular he loves to look a this pictures if he is not home. Last night he climbed in my lap so that he could look at his picture on the phone.

16. He loves to pick ut the phone, cell phones, etc. and then have you chase him to get them back. He finds this hysterical! He can bring objects when prompted though.

17. He loves to open and close doors. Especially if he is on the opposite side from you! He does get mad if you don't open it back up pretty quickly!

18. He loves BREAD and FRUIT! He will also love a food one day and not want to touch it the next!

19. He loves peek-a-boo, or being surprised. It is one sure way to get a laugh!

20. He looks great in a tie!

My Big One Year Old Boy!

Just for fun!

What time is it? 10:10...Kaden's b-day time!
What's your full name? Angela Jill Rhodes
What are you most afraid of? losing my family, rollercoasters!

What is the most recent movie that you have seen in a Theater? Bourne Ultimatum, wow that's been a while!

Ever been to Alaska ? No

Ever been toilet paper rolling? yes, many times...I lives in Abilene there wasn't much to do!

Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes

Been in a car accident? Yes, when I was 16. I was going to babysit and meghan made me drive Mom' s Buick which I didn't like driving. needless to say the death intersection at Catclaw and Rebecca Lane led to the demise of the almost new Buick!

Croutons or bacon bits? Croutons!

Favorite day of the week? Saturday

Favorite restaurant? La Haceinda, Rio Mambo

Favorite Flower? roses or tulips

Favorite sport to watch? food network challenge?

Favorite Drink? Diet Coke

Favorite ice cream? Ben and Jerry's Phish Food...though it si rather impossible to find!

Disney or Warner Brothers? Both

Ever been on a ship? Yes, I went on a cruise my junior year in college...it was cloudy the whole time except th elast day on the way back...still fun though!

What color is your bedroom carpet? off-white

How many times did you fail your driver's test? None

Before this one, who did you get your last email from? several people at once!

What do you do when you are bored? bored??? what does that mean?

Bedtime? asleep on couch, usually...9:30...actually in bed 10:30

Favorite TV show? The Office, 30 Rock, er, My Name is Earl, oh my new favorite..Big Bang Theory....it is hillarious!

Last person you went out to eat with? Jon

Favorite time of year? winter/spring

Favorite color? red, blue and green

How many tattoos do you have? none...that you can see...he he..... just kidding. there are lots of pretty things in the world but nothing that I want on my body forever. I do enjoy LA Ink though!

How Many Pets do you have? one, a dog named Molly

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Chicken, i have received the whoel explanation from my uncle!

What do you want to do before you die? Have more kids, see my kids get married, become a grandmother, travel (to places like Hawaii, California, National Parks, France, Virgin Islands, etc.), retire and spend my days just hanging out with Jon.

Have you ever been to Hawaii? No...see the list from above

Have you been to countries outside the US ? yes, Mexico and Rome.


Time this survey ended? 10:25

Kaden's Party

Alright people I know I am dreadfully behind but I have been busy! Kaden's party was a success I think! It was rather warm..85...so his costume didn't stay on long. We had almost 50 people and our living room looks like Santa's toy shop! thanks to everyone who came!



Here are some shots of the big day!

The award for Best Costume by an adult goes to: Becky!

The award for Best Duo: Zach and Diana

The better late than never award goes to:

Jordan and Melynda!

The award for Best YoungestTrio: The Hightower boys!

The award for Oldest Trio goes to:

Grammy Jane and her Jungle Cats!

The award for Best Birthday Boy Goes to: Kaden!

Eye Brow Threading

Due to frequency of the question asked, ok twice, I decided to make today's topic eyebrow threading. Those of you savvy Oprah watchers have probably seen it on her show, I was introduced to it by my eyebrows obsessed sister! Here is the basic gist of the process. First, take a couple Tylenol, this aids in your ability to recover. Now proceed to nearest eyebrow threading torture station. in our case it was Grapevine Mills Mall. They put you in this hair dresser chair that leans you all the way back so that you are sprawled out nicely for all the passersby to gawk at. The torturer then takes a length of thread and with adept ease gently twirls, twists and configures said string to capture just the right number of eyebrow hairs (EH). She instructs you to use one hand to pull down on your eye lid and one hand to pull up this keeps her from "cutting me" with the string. Reassuring isn't it. Then with one "fluid" motion the string is retracted and "gently" tears the hairs from your flesh. Not bad if that was it right? Wrong, the process continues for about 5 minutes on each eye. Between intervals of wiping my overflowing watery eyes, I notice the crowd beginning to hover like they are checking out a crime scene. Very reassuring, because said watering is of course removing most of my eye make-up and smearing some nice raccoon circles around my eyes. After 10 or so minutes of ripping and pulling, the torturess holds up the mirror and walla perfectly groomed eyebrows! All for the bargain price of $10. I almost paid $20 for her to stop the first time. Now if you want some real excitement try your lip. If you haven't tried to hold your tongue tightly in your upper lip for 10 minutes so as to avoid "cutting" you, my friend, are missing out!

Your eyebrows will look fabulous and it really does last about 4-6 weeks and isn't so bad, the 2nd time, That's right I came back for more! Just don't forget the Tylenol!

That ain't no guacamole!

Yesterday after work Kaden and I went to meet Meghan, Aunt Sissy, at Grapevine Mills Mall for some eyebrow threading, aka torture. (If you haven't tried this it does work amazingly well..but no matter what Meg says having hairs ripped from above your eye socket is not pain free.. no matter the method) Anyway after this exciting adventure we decided to get some dinner..not surprisingly we wanted some Mexican food! We were in separate cars so we proceeded to Uncle Julios with a cranky, hungry baby in tow. As we arrived at the restaurant, I got an amazing front row spot. Meghan was, of course, 2 steps from the door ( she has this uncanny knack for getting amazingly close parking spots!) As I was getting out of the car, Meg yelled across that she would go on ahead and get our names on the list. This sounded like a great plan. I then proceeded to unload my purse and unhook Kaden from his seat. The backpack was, of course, in the far back so while trying to keep my purse from sliding down my arm and the 20 lb+ baby from falling out of my arms I manage to hoist the back gate and untangle the bag from under the stroller. Suddenly a mother's worst nightmare.....my hand is wet. I know I haven't washed it anytime recently and Kaden is not holding a cup so nothing is leaking..except, of course, the dreaded diaper leak. I hustle towards the restaurant praying for #1, when I see Meg coming towards we. "There's an hour and a half wait, No way" she says. Well I tell her that we are going to the bathroom because we have a Code DE! (diaper explosion) My hopes are dashed as look down and see a green substance on my hand, now we were not able to get into the restaurant so I knew it wasn't guacamole! Meg and I immediately divert ourselves back to the car. This was going to require more than a Koala changing station! Thoughts of OH, crap! I didn't replace the extra outfit were now flashing through my head. Again we raise the gate..suddenly I am not feeling nearly as thankful for my front row spot, clear out the stroller and search for the changing pad. Kaden is screaming bloody murder and by the way officially leaking poo everywhere! I remove the shoes and move on to the delicate pants removal. If you have never attempted to remove poo covered shorts from a squirming one year old then you haven't lived. This is a delicate operation requiring the steady hand and skill of a surgeon. too quickly and the legs will be painted, too slow and wiggling will allow the mess the spread to the other leg. I adeptly remove the pants and thrown then in the first thing I can find, the Carter's sack that we just picked up at the mall, I toss out the precious green stripped reindeer Christmas pajamas that his Aunt Sissy just bought Kaden and quickly throw the pants inside. I then make another terrible discovery the poo has not been contained to the pants it has indeed made it's way northward....shirt removal, also tricky, avoid the hair and face, nearly impossible but using my stealthy moves I am again successful. As Kaden continues to "paint" the changing pad, I quickly throw the shirt into aforementioned sack and prepare for the clean-up . (Sidenote: Meg has been frantically searching for another sack in which we can contain the diaper, while occasionally gagging (Blah), not actually throwing up but actually retching. I will insert BLah to represent this as I continue the story.) I carefully strip off the diaper and throw it into Meg's sack (blaah), I use about 5 wipes to clean Kaden's back , butt, changing pad, legs you name it (blaah, blaah). Aunt Sissy continues to adeptly hold the bag, all the while wretching away. (BLAaH) at long last, in front of God, and the entire population of Uncle Julios, Kaden is clean and in a fresh diaper. Only one problem, no extra outfit right, wrong problem solved...Christmas in October anyone?? That's right I put Kaden in his cute little reindeer jammies, no matter that they are flannel and it was 80 degrees out, he was wearing clothes and as this point that is all that mattered! As you can see from the picture below, he loved them!

The moral of the story: ALWAYS bring extra clothes! BTW: I am ashamed to admit that Aunt sissy (BLAAH) dropped the sack under the car, so last night I officially became "that guy" who leaves dirty diapers in the parking lot, but at least now I know why it is others are compelled to do this. Trust me if you haven't already had an experience like this you will and you will drop the bag also!

We did finally get some dinner at Mimi's. The bib covered most of the reindeer and we only got a few strange looks. We were prepared with a story about him modeling for a Christmas craft show but never got the chance to use it!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to....

Ok, so Kaden's big party is a week away but I wanted to share the excitement of his first birthday. Jon and I thought we would do a little something special in honor of the big day. I stayed up until 11:00, stirring, mixing, baking and decorating a special cowboy hat cake.

Our plan was to let him make his big mess at our house where we could clean up rather than outside with no sink. (At his party) The day started well. I made him french toast, one of his favorites and he went to see Ms. Joyce. They got to go see puppies which of course he loved! He got to take his first trip to McDonald's. I ordered him a Happy Meal but, of course, he preferred his spinach and cheese ravioli and apple sauce over chicken nuggets and fries! Whose kid is this? He did enjoy playing on the slides and things! Well by the time cake time rolled around, a combination of not enough nap and 3 teeth in one week made for an interesting time. Things started off well but gradually got crankier and crankier.

After a few small, neat tastes of chocolate cake, he was done. Again we are questioning parentage? Long story short we put him to bed/nap at an early (6:00). He slept for an hour and then woke up and played for a while. Still cranky but determined to get on his new bulldozer by himself, he spent the better part of 15 minutes climbing on and off of it, unable to figure out no matter why no matter which side he attempted to climb on it from, he always ended up facing backwards. He did not want help but did appreciate the applause he receive every time he was successful. By the way, he makes Beyonce look co-dependent! We finally took the bulldozer outside as the last beams of twilight were fading. This was fun for a while,until he reached the end of the sidewalk. He refused to ride at this point and insisted on pushing it instead but he only wanted to push it north on the sidewalk. Any attempt to turn him around and show him another path was unacceptable. He fussed and whined until he finally gave into the fact that he wasn't allowed to walk to Denton. After a little while and several tumbles onto the cement, it was time for bed! Well at least until midnight when he woke up again! All I can say is, thank you Tylenol!

The Big ONE!

Well it has finally happened, I am joining the age and expanding Kaden's picture website to include a blog as well. I will try to include funny, interesting and informative things for you to read. Let me know what you like and don't like or ask questions!
My baby boy turned 1 this past Wednesday and in honor of that I would like to steal an idea from a friend and give you a little Kaden top 25
1. Kaden Jon Rhodes was born on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 10:02 am (tried to make 10, but doc was too slow!). He was born in delivery room 10 and we were moved to room 244 ( adds to 10). Cooky right! He also had approximately 10,000 photos taken that first day!
2. His first word was dada followed by dog, duck and finally mama!
3. He started sleeping through the night at about 3 months. (9pm to 6:30am)
4. He will sleep until 9:00 if given the opportunity but usually rises at 6:30 when his Mama goes to get him up. He usually wakes up with a smile but if not his first Molly kiss of the day usually does it!
5. He loves to flip light switches! He is successful only about 1/2 the time but loves to try!
6. He loves mirrors! We have always been able to make him smile by showing him a mirror. If I was that cute I would want to look at myself all the time too!
7. He loves dogs! As aforementioned, dog before mama! He loves to get open mouth kisses from Molly, we are working on keeping the mouth closed! He cracks himself up just going for a kiss!
8. His first real food was sweet potatoes, which he still prefers over french fries! Crazy! Interesting side note, sweet potatoes are one of the few foods his daddy doesn't like!
9. He started walking at 10 months and running at 10 1/2. This boy is on the move!
10. He loves books! Especially pop-ups! He will read the same where's baby book 50 times if you will let him!
11. He loves his stick horse. Before he could walk he would crawl and drag it with one hand, now he will sit on it and try to sing the bonanza song, that is what we always sing to get him to bounce up and down on it! He blows his lips and says bu bu as soon as we open the garage, this is his word for his stick horse!
12. He love peekaboo! with towels, blankets or even just look away and looking back really fast!
13. He loves to pretend to give you a bite of something and then quickly sticks it back in his own mouth. This cracks him up every time!
14. He will be attending his 2nd Baylor Homecoming this year, last year he went when he was 11 days old!
15. His wardrobe consists mostly of collared shirts, per Aunt Sissy's advice, jeans and shorts. We recently added shoes, he is better with them but still prefers bare feet!
16. He stays with Ms. Joyce this year while Mommy and Daddy work. Eric is teaching him to toughen up. He has learned to take a train to the head rather well.
17. He is allergic to clothing dye. If we put an outfit on him that hasn't been washed he immediately gets a rash!
18. He gave up his paci at 3 months and his bottles at 11 months. He also switched himself to real milk at 11 months, he just refused to drink formula anymore! who can blame him!
19. He loves to eat! but as I said more vegetable than anything! he also loves goldfish, puffs, string cheese, bread, peas, green beans and yogurt!
20. He loves barking at dogs. Maybe we have the next Dr. Doolittle.
21. He is named Kaden(because it was a name Jon and I liked 5 years ago and we thought it would be unique. Little did we know it would become one of the most popular names for 2006) and Jon (for his Daddy of course)! Hi snicknames include Sweet Boy, Munchkin and Bubba
22. He has bright blue eyes, everyone always asks if they can have them and white blond hair. He has already had two hair cuts! He hates them, by the way, but always looks so handsome afterwards! On occasion, he gets a little spike like daddy's!
23. His favorite kid show is Blue's Clues..a dog....... shocking I know!
24. He loves the water...unless it is on a rag trying to wash his face! He loves to swim(crawl in the shallow parts) and loves the Fort Worth Water Gardens!
25. He has the best laugh! He is super ticklish (like Daddy) and has had an awesome belly laugh since about 3 months!