birthday boy...belated

Recently, it was this guy's birthday. To really appreciate Caden and all that he brings to our family, here's to a half-decade of memories and pictures of Mr. Cade. We love you so much Caders and thank you for being YOU! You're a very special little boy who's definitely, one of a kind :) Cade's our fall baby, born September 29th. I was induced with Cade and his labor and delivery was fairly quick. He's our biggest baby and was the chunkiest and the easiest baby of our 3.

Cade is known for his long eye-lashes (which he's even trimmed once) and his beautiful curls as a baby. After his first haircut, those baby curls disappeared. He walked early on at 10 months old and has always been able to keep up with the big boys.

His favorite movie before Spiderman was introduced to him was, believe it or not, Nacho Libre. In fact, he was Nacho for Halloween when he was only two...here he is, doing his best Nacho impersonation. He'd even make the "fart noise" as he dove off the couch. He was an adorable little boy (still is) and he can still make some gross noises.

When Caden decides to put his mind to something, it's over. He has more will power than anyone I've ever known...like when he wanted his training wheels off, he had just turned 4 and in a few hours, conquered riding his bike like a big boy. And when he was called a "baby" for sucking his thumb at preschool, it was over. That night, he quit, cold-turkey, his thumb sucking habit he'd had since birth. In fact, we have an ultrasound picture of Caden sucking his thumb. When he felt the urge, he'd bite his blankie (which I worried would become a new habit) but this only lasted a couple of nights, accompanied with tears of frustration. It was really amazing and he's one strong little boy. Another time is when he wanted to only wear "underwears" like his big brother and be potty trained, he initiated it himself and pretty much trained himself. I was pregnant and in the midst of my grief of finding out about Maddie's heart and the last thing I wanted to do was work on potty training but Cade forced it and achieved, once again. He's also our little fish...loves to swim and isn't afraid of the water, deep end, going under water, diving board, not scared one bit. It's a little scary to watch sometimes. We don't call him our little super hero for nothin'!
Cade also has his own sense of style. He used to only wear anything red, then only superhero costumes or apparel with the like splashed all over it, then it was only long sleeves, the layered look, and now it's this. A baseball cap, turned backwards on the very back of his cute little noggin. He's a trendsetter!

He's also a very passionate little boy. He cries hard, talks loud, plays hard, loves lots, laughs loud and sleeps hard. Everything he does, he puts 110% forward. It's a wonderful trait and we can't give ourselves credit for any of this, this is just Cade. He definitely has likes and dislikes and negotiating with him is tough. When he's mad, watch out. He's usually on a mission and don't get in his way! He can also be the kindest boy. He's observant and doesn't let much go unnoticed. We're so proud of his determination and I wish I had more of Caden's will-power!

Here's to our creative, sweet, fun-loving boy! Happy 5th Birthday Caden Larry!!!