We Gave Birth to a Monkey

Not really, but Caden sure does love to climb. He's not walking just yet, but he is VERY close! These pics were taken right before we moved out of our apartment. Caden was into everything, including the fridge! Hopefully being in France will be so stimulating to him that he will be walking soon. He just turned 10 months yesterday, but we'd love to have an early walker!

Travel Weary

Well, we made it to France! Travel was uneventful, and Caden had fun sleeping through most of both flights. Oh wait, that was US who had fun with Caden sleeping through both flights!

Despite all of the sleep, little Cade was still tuckered out. Here he is crashed at our hotel room in Paris, sprawled on the bed like he just passed out from a long night of drinking.

We are now in Albertville, where our language school is. We would love to describe how beautiful it is here, nestled in a valley of the French Alps, but we will instead post some pictures tomorrow and let them do the talking. Words are useless to describe this portion of God's creation!

Big Helpers

Well, we're all moved out of our apartment, and there is a definite sense of finality to things these days. The last week was full of craziness, packing, laughing, crying, and wondering what in the world we are doing. Good thing we had big helpers like our nephews Owen and Dawson to help us out. You can see curly headed Dawson carrying a curtain rod in this pic, and his older brother in the background helping out with a tube of plastic wrap. We couldn't have done it without them!

Caden helped us out by carrying this straw around in his mouth. It's the little things that add up to make a big difference...

Cousin Nate

Caden sure is gonna miss playing with his cousin Nate! Nate (Nathaniel) is Brett's sisters first born son. He will be three soon, and he is definitely becoming a fun and rambunctious little guy. This weekend we'll be taking a pic of all the cousins together, so watch for it on the blog next week!

It's true...

Caden has hair!

After catching a few raindrops, we were able to spike Caden's hair just to show you that he does indeed have hair. Although it is Emerson tradition to not have hair until after your first birthday, we thought the rest of the world should get to appreciate the few tufts Caden has for now.

Caden Loves Mallory!

While we were in Franklin last week, Caden got to spend some time with his newest cousin, Mallory Joy Baynes. Truth be told, Caden is fascinated with every baby or toddler he sees, but for the sake of a good post, he was particularly enamored by Mallory. She is the closest in age to Caden, so even though they are different genders, they will surely have some good times together in the future.

On a side note, if you look closely and you can stop staring at his eyes or his smile, you will see that Caden's nose is quite an orangish color. This is due to the fact that he is in love with orange vegetables. Squash, carrots, sweet potatoes; you name it, he scarfs it down. Now if we could only get him to eat his green beans and peas, we'd be all set :)

Raiding the Pantry

With us packing up the apartment, Caden is finding new and exciting things to get himself into. Here he is raiding the food on our shelf in the laundry room. Let's hope he can't get the lid off that Wesson oil; that would make a very interesting diaper!!!

On a side note, thanks to everyone who prayed about Caden's heart doctor visit today. He is perfectly healthy, and the doc said we have nothing to be concerned about. He just has an innocent heart murmur that some babies and even grown people have and live normally with. Thank God for the blessing of a happy, healthy, and beautiful little boy!!!

Gatlinburg Adventures

Gatlinburg was a much needed break. We had a great time with friends from our days at Harding University. Caden was a trooper through all the travels. He even rode in his hiking backpack for the first time and didn't cry once! Here's a picture of us at the waterfall we hiked to at Cade's Cove (no, the husky bald gentleman is not in our party).

Caden also strummed his first guitar...thanks Erik.

We haven't posted a picture without Caden since...well, I'm not sure if we ever have...so here's a great shot for ya. ;)

Back Home...For Now

Well, we're done with traveling until we move to France, a nice window of...less than 2 weeks. We'll be blogging alot leading up to our departure, and here's a late night post just to tide everyone over until tomorrow. It looks like Caden is ready to get one step closer to his new home...

9 month update

-9 months, 1 week, 1 day
-29" long
-17 lbs. 2.6 oz.
-crawling professionally
-pulling up on everything
-babbling non-stop
-happiest baby on earth

priceless!

Listen Up People! I've Got Something to Say...

Caden Gabbing
Video sent by emersonstogo

Let's Go!

Check me out! Thanks to Gamma I'm ready to go!

I've got my own backpack for the plane ride and

the two pieces of luggage they'll allow me to check.

I wonder if I can fit all my toys in here.

__________________________________________

Are you sure I can't fly to France in my new suitcase?

I'll Take the Stairs

I'll Take the Stairs
Video sent by emersonstogo

If you happen to see Caden in a hotel lobby and the elevator is about to close, there is no need to hold the door for him. He'll just take the stairs...

Piano Man

We're in Texas right now, visiting friends and family and doing some fundraising, and Caden is having a blast. We'll be posting several pictures and videos in a row of our time here, starting with Caden's new love: the piano! He will just sit there and pound on the keys all day, and Granny Dot is of course more than happy to help him out.

Caden is clearly a budding musician. Just leave your tips in the jar by the door...

Climbing Caden

I was checking my email while I
thought Caden was playing with his toys. Next thing I knew, a little head was peeking over the edge of the computer table. Now you need to know that Caden is not tall enough to peek over the edge of the table...unless he is standing on something. It was in that brief moment I realized that our son had figured out how to climb on the file box in order to reach the papers on the computer table. I snapped a few pictures and then put him safely back on the floor. To my surprise, he did it again (although, why should I be surprised?!) I captured the action on video for your viewing pleasure.

Warning: Caden slips at the end of this video. The video will end abruptly...but have no fear, Caden did not fall.

Climbing Caden
Video sent by emersonstogo

The Babies

Caden and Mallory (Ed & Amy) are the two babies in the family...at least until Cullen (Chad & Betsy's) is born. These two are only seven months apart. Right now, they are very different. But give them a year or two and they'll be running around together not knowing they weren't born the same year.


As you can see in this picture, Caden is quite interested in baby Mallory. I think Caden just wanted to give her a kiss...but Aunt Amy stepped in and stopped the madness. Don't worry Mallory, we promise to not let your cousin slobber you with too many kisses. I'm sure you two will be best of friends as soon as you can say each other's name.

A Globetrotter in the Making

Well we finally got Caden's passport back from Uncle Sam. It's really funny to us that 5 years from now, when his passport has to be renewed, he will still have the same 8 month old picture that will look almost nothing like his nearly 6 year old face. Oh well, it wasn't our idea, and we're not running the government of this or any other country, so what can you do???

It's cool to think that by the time he's 5 or so, he will have traveled more than most people do in their entire lives. Of course it's not of his doing; we just kind of kept on with our lives after he was born, and little Cade had to fit himself into our plans. He's already been to Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, and California; next week it's Texas, and then next month he'll be living in the French Alps, but he probably doesn't appreciate all of these great traveling experiences just yet...maybe one day when he's on safari in some random West African country, it will just hit him: having a passport and using it is AWESOME!!!

Gran'Pa and the Workshop

Gran'Pa has been very anxious to get little Caden out to the workshop with him. The day finally came when the two of them went exploring among the tools.

Don't worry, Gran'Pa was quite careful to have the proper eye protection for Caden while working on the lathe.

Gran'Pa and Caden make quite the cute pair in their matching red shirts and overalls...don't ya think?!

Tupperware and a Spatula

Caden loves it when we put tupperware on his head. Add that to a spatula that feels great to chew on, and you've got a very happy baby boy! With Cade crawling like crazy and pulling up on everything, he seems to think that every single household item was put there for him to play with. Life changes drastically with a crawler!

Obligatory 4th Pictures

Caden in his USA outfit from Gamma.
















Caden right before he went to sleep on Gamma.
















Caden with two of his cousins Nathaniel and Mallory.


















Caden and Papa relax and enjoy a little staring contest.

Two Very Special People

Today we went to visit with April's grandparents on her dad's side, Granny and Daddy Dick. This will be the last time we see them before we leave next month, and we wanted them to see how much Caden has been changing and growing. Caden was a total showoff all day as usual. He was smiling, crawling, pulling up, laughing, babbling...basically pulling all of his tricks out of his hat to make sure that Granny and Daddy Dick know just how special he is. We had a good visit, and we had the chance to snap this picture of 4 generations on the Gillespie side. We thank God for the blessing that Granny and Daddy Dick have been to us over the years. They are truly amazing and special people to us; we cherish their love and support, and we know that they pray for our family everyday.

We love you Granny and Daddy Dick!















Caden being silly with his great-grandfather...

Did We Mention We Are Moving?

There are lots of things you can use a packing box for...here's one of them. This is also a great way to keep your baby busy and out of things while you are trying to pack.

Caden With a White Thing on His Head

This is what Caden looks like with a white thing on his head. Also, he is dancing on the bed with his mommy. AWESOME!

And yes, April did cut her hair, and she looks HOT!!!

8 Month Old Caden

Caden...Caden...and more Caden! These pictures should give you a good idea of what our little boy is up to these days. He is quite the active guy and keeps his mommy and daddy on their toes.










AWWWW, such a cuddle bug!


As you might notice, the bumber pad had to be removed from his crib. Caden was using it as a step stool and reaching higher on his crib than his parents were comfortable with. Now if we can only convince him to let go of the railing and sit back down to take a nap!



And, of course...the classic sitting in front of the bear picture to let you really see how much he's growing.

Rules for Posting Comments

If you wish to post a comment on our blog, we'd like to inform you of the 2 narrow categories in which you are allowed to post.

Category 1) How much you love us.
Category 2) How awesome Caden is.

We've had some unnecessary, unrelated, and just ridiculous comments these last few days, so please limit your posting to the subject at hand. While we're not big fans of censorship here at the Emerson Family Blog, we nonetheless reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason at any time. Hey, it's our blog, right?

Disclaimer: The views of this post are those of both Brett and April Emerson, as well as Caden. He still thinks whatever we tell him too...

Upside Down Caden

Upside_down_caden
Video sent by emersonstogo

Caden loves being upside down!!! Here he is having fun with his mommy; don't worry, we didn't let ALL of the blood rush to his head. An added bonus to this video is that you can clearly see Caden's top 4 teeth. Enjoy!

Look at me!!!

Caden wanted to be sure that everyone knew he was now pulling up on things all by himself AND standing! He is quite proud of his new talents. He has also learned to crawl to get what he wants...this includes everything from toys to mommy/daddy and a few things that he's not supposed to have.

Happy Father's Day

We celebrated Brett's first Father's Day today. We celebrated his incredible involvement in Caden's life with a few special presents. Brett enjoyed reading a new book, "Ten Tiny Tickles" with Caden and looking at his own personal photo album from Caden entitled, "Just Me and My Daddy". Brett chose to eat at Smokey Bones for lunch and later he and Caden went swimming.

Caden loves...no adores his Daddy. We have captured this adoration in a few pictures, but unless you've seen it in person, the pictures don't do it justice. They already have a unique bond that many sons never develop with their dads their entire life. I am blessed to be the wife and mother who gets to witness this relationship develop the rest of their lives. Brett is the dad every woman dreams of having in a husband. From day one he has been very involved in Caden's life. Everything from volunteering to change his diaper, giving him a bath, feeding him baby food, carrying him everywhere, to putting him to bed....all on his own. I am so proud of Brett and the daddy he is to Caden. Happy Father's Day Brett, and thank you for being the man of my dreams! I love you and I know Caden does too!

King Caden

One of the highlights of our trip to California was the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco. We took California Highway 1, often referred to as the Pacific Coast Highway, most of the way. The dramatic coastline vistas and roads winding through the mountains were well worth the extra time it took to get to the Moore's house.

San Simeon is famous for only one thing: it's the home of Hearst Castle, the humble (yeah right) abode of William Randolph Hearst, built in the early 20th century. It was fun to take Caden to "America's Castle", since April and I have traveled Europe so much. We wanted him to experience a little bit of Europe, and Hearst Castle is about as close as it gets to Old World Europe here in the states.

The first pic is of the three of us in the Roman style bathhouse, and the second is totally unrelated to Hearst Castle; it just shows how Caden has fallen in love with his daddy's Camelbak water pack. If you get a chance to take your precious 8 month old to Hearst Castle, we highly suggest that you take it!

Caden Sees Sea Lions and Makes Some New Friends

At the end of Pier 39 in San Francisco is a famous pile of sea lions. I guess they're famous because you can get so close to them, and sometimes they throw their fat, blubbery bodies against each other trying to shove an enemy off of the end of a floating dock. It's pretty entertaining, but it's much more like a zoo than a wild nature experience. Caden enjoyed the show, and daddy enjoyed experiencing it with him. There will be many more wildlife adventures to come!

Caden also made some new friends in Amanda and Lydia Moore, the younger sisters of our good friend Marcus Moore. They loved to play with Caden, and loved grabbing their hair and Amanda's glasses. Amanda and Lydia were great with Caden, and we're sure they'll both be great moms someday!

Climbing Caden

Caden recently discovered how to pull himself up on the bars of his crib. We heard him wake up yesterday morning and cry a "scared" cry. When Brett opened Caden's door, this is what he saw. We decided the scared cry was because he didn't know how to get down. Needless to say, we lowered the mattress today.

Seven Months Old

Our big 7 month old!







Look! You can see all four teeth!

Caden Goes to Jail

Now that we're home, we're going to spend the next few days posting about our 10 days in California.

No Caden is not a criminal, but he did go to jail. We visited Alcatraz along with Amanda and Lydia Moore (Marcus' sisters) this past Friday, and it was a fascinating excursion. Caden was great, staring wide-eyed at all of the things going on around him and flirting with all of the women who inevitably throw a fit over him everywhere we go (sidenote: it actually kinda gets old sometimes. The flight attendants on the way home were totally neglecting their duties just to see little Cade smile at them.)

He loved the way the metal bars felt all cold, and he thought the cells were his own personal play rooms. Enjoy the pics, and we'll post more highlights from our trip tomorrow!

Caden is Crawling!!!

Caden is Crawling!!!
Video sent by emersonstogo

Caden is now 7 1/2 months old and he's crawling like a champ! We are returning home from California today, and we're in for some trouble around the house. No more just setting him in the middle of the floor and walking away!

Update #2

We have another tooth! That brings us to the grand total of....4!
Two on the top and two on the bottom.

Update on Teeth

Just a little FYI...our little boy now has 3 teeth!!! .....his new one is on top and we can already see more on the way (poor little guy).