Proverbs 15:1

One of the books Caden received for his birthday was My ABC Bible Verses. We started with "A" this week...

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Now...how do you teach him to actually do this? ;)

Phase One

... of the Big Boy Bed:


The pack'n'play was taking a beating with Corban sleeping in it every night so we decided he should have a real crib again. Since we gave our spare one away to friends who had twins, we needed to convert Caden's toddler bed back into a crib. This meant we had to put Caden into a "real" bed.
Without too much planning, we started the process and then realized Caden might not like the idea that we gave Corban his bed. So, I started thinking of ways to make his new bed "cool". Stuffed animals! What kid doesn't love them?...and we sure have plenty of them.
It worked! He was so excited about all his friends on his new bed he didn't seem to mind that Corban had a new crib (a.k.a. his old bed).

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Phase Two and Three will consist of adding the box springs, frame, and new sheets/blanket.

11 Months

This is Corban's last month before he turns one. So in honor of him being eleven months old, here are eleven things I want to be sure and remember about this stage in Corban Stewart's life.

1. approx. 22 lbs.
2. 7 teeth
3. walking while holding someone's hand
4. can squat from a standing position
5. attempts to sing
6. still nursing 3x / day
7. drinks like a mad-man from a sippy cup
8. has a unique "old man" sound he makes
9. smiles at anyone...and I mean anyone (this makes for an attraction of African's if we have to wait anywhere in the car)
10. seems to never stop moving unless buckled in a chair
11. still thinks his brother is the best thing!

We Love This THREE Year Old

Caden's birthday is Saturday, but we already had his party...so for all purposes, he's three now.

Birthday friends: Gabriel, Caden, Asher, Caleb

Happy Party, Caden!

Instead of saying "birthday party" or "happy birthday", Caden refers to it as "happy party". We had an Elmo-themed party (thanks to Gamma and Nanna for the great decor!) complete with friends, games, presents, and cake. Even now, he continues to ask about his party...I think he wants another one. Sorry, buddy, you'll have to wait a whole year.

Pin the "nose" on Elmo game

Dorothy's Goldfish Bowl: the object was to pass water from cup to cup and fill Dorothy's goldfish bowl in record time.

Birthday cake with a "3" candle

Elmo cupcakes for the kids

...and the presentsReeves: ABC scripture book, The Lord Is My Shepherd
Millers: bean bag toss game (homemade...Caden loves it!)
Family: Bob the Builder shirt, Mr. Potato Head, big-boy bike

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A few more...

Here's a few more of my favorites from our time with my parents:


Can we say tourist?!We took these last ones just before my parents left...

Hellos and Goodbyes

One of the blessings of living in Africa is having people in our homes for extended stays. Although some people are fearful of being a burden on us, it is actually quite the opposite...we LOVE it! The part we don't like is having to say goodbye and send them home. We have done more of this in the past two weeks than we prefer. We enjoyed our first group from GracePointe (our sponsoring congregation from Montgomery, AL) and then April's parents arrived just as they were leaving. We are now saying goodbye to them and our hearts are full. Our boys might go through a social withdrawal when we arrive back home. So where does this leave us? Treasuring the memories we have made and looking forward to the new ones on their way with the next set of visitors. Come see us, we love it!