Lots of Firsts ... and One Big Second

Well, time has flown considering my last update took place at this time of year ...

... and now we're right in the middle of summer fun.

The past 6 months have disappeared in a whirlwind of many firsts.  Cael was in his first wedding as a ring bearer for one of his sweet teachers.  He wasn't a big fan of wearing the tux but his good buddy, Hayden, was also in the wedding so that made the day extra special.  The guys made it down the very, very long aisle and enjoyed the dance floor at the reception. 

Since the wedding was in Houston, Cael got to visit "The Taqueria" for the first time.  Zac and I spent a crazy amount of time at Goode Co. Taqueria when we lived in Houston ... so many meals, so many margaritas, so many "Goode" times together.  I might have teared up a little bit at the realization that my kid was enjoying brunch in a place that was such a huge part of our pre-Cael life.  Or maybe it was because the food was just as amazing as ever.  Either way, it was a special meal to have together.

In the "not-so-fun" category of firsts, Cael had his first ER visit after an unfortunate run-in between his nose and a toilet (long story).  Fortunately his nose healed quickly and he enjoyed the entire experience since he was given a popsicle, got to watch TV, checked out the helicopter parked on the helipad in front of the ER and topped off his evening with a milkshake.  I'm just glad he hasn't found more opportunities to recreate his exciting ER evening.

We quickly moved onto happier firsts including his first "big" birthday party with friends.  In the past he kept his guest list pretty narrow, wanting only to celebrate with cousins and "friend Graham."  His fourth birthday, however, seemed like the right occasion to invite a bunch of buddies and get into the birthday planning fun.  He had a vision for the big day:  he wanted a Frozen birthday party, specific cupcakes, lots of balloons and he wanted the bash to happen at his gym.  His master plan worked out beautifully and we had a fun time celebrating our 4 year old!

Cael started his first team sport in the spring.  He had talked about playing soccer and really wanted his dad to coach the team.  Both guys had a great time although we had a very limited season given the monsoon conditions that settled over Texas this spring.  Lakes and rivers were at flood stage as were the soccer fields where Cael practiced and played.  Rain and mud aside, it was a special experience for Zac and Cael.

Cael's most recent first was a road trip to the mountains.  He spent weeks talking about his mountain adventure and the trip did not disappoint.  We decided to head to a little town in New Mexico where not only had Zac vacationed with his family when he was younger but where Zac and I also went early in our relationship to hike and camp (my friends and family knew something had to be special about Zac when I willingly slept in a tent for a couple of nights).

We stayed in a little cabin that provided lots of entertainment for Cael.  He loved exploring the trails along the creek bank (and throwing countless rocks into said creek ... he might have altered the flow of that little stream!).

We enjoyed nightly campfires and roasted marshmallows.

Whether chasing chipmunks, playing horseshoes or relaxing in the hammock, Cael had a great time at the cabin.

Cael had fun in town ...

... and at the park ...

... but the big adventures were in the mountains.  Cael helped his dad scout fishing spots ...

... and enjoyed the subsequent catching and releasing.

He was ready to master the trails of Carson National Forest ...

... and led the way on our hike (towards Lost Lake where Zac and I camped many years ago).

The highlight of the little man's trip came in the form of a bright yellow jeep.  We loaded him, and his car seat, into the vehicle that he had talked about riding in for weeks and headed off on the forest service access roads. 

 He had a blast off-roading and watching for animals ... and the view was incredible, of course.

Cael's firsts have made this a very memorable year but the excitement of a special "second" has brought a whole other level of joy to our family. 

Our second child should join our family in late November and Cael is over the moon about being a big brother.  He loves to talk about "his baby" and excitedly tells us about the things that they'll do together.  Seeing his joy has been one of the most amazing parts of the past several months. 

We are looking forward to the fun that we'll have with both our first and our second!

Our Magical Trip to See the Mouse

Surprising Cael on Christmas with our trip to Disney World was exciting as was the fact that we didn't have to wait long for the adventure.  We spent about 3 weeks talking about all of the fun that would be ahead of us in Florida and before we knew it, it was time to pack our bags.

Cael enjoyed his quality time surveying the tarmac and admiring the hustle and bustle of the airport before we finally boarded our flight.  He passed the time with some penguins,

Zac passed the time with the Cowboys,

and I finished some last minute educational cramming for our big trip (brilliant sub-title).

In no time we were in Orlando and aboard the Magical Express to our hotel.  Cael wisely decided to catch a quick nap ...

... and upon our arrival he was fully ready to explore our hotel and check out the view from our room.

We started our Disney adventure with an evening of pirate fun. 

We enjoyed a few pirate snacks (Disney knows how to build a buffet) before boarding our "pirate ship."  Once aboard we sang pirate songs ("A Pirate's Life for Me" is now a mainstay in our house) and enjoyed our hilarious host for the evening, Patch.  Can't you see the excitement all over Cael's face?

The best part of the evening was the amazing view that we had for the Disney fireworks.  We "anchored" right in front of the castle and enjoyed the incredible show.

We also had a chance to meet a few pirate celebrities that evening.  Perhaps Captain Hook was not the best way to warm up Cael towards the Disney characters.

 



After some time in the arcade ...

... and watching the electric light show on the lake from our room ...

... we caught a little sleep before our big first day at Disney.  We started off the morning enjoying breakfast with Mickey and some of his pals. 

After getting his fill of waffles and fruit loops (we set no records for nutritious eating at Disney), Cael was ready to get to the park and get the fun started.  He was all about the rides ... the spinning rides,

 

the flying rides,



 

the coaster rides ... he LOVED them all!

 

 

We consciously chose to skip naps on this trip and knew that there would be consequences for that decision.  Cael's low point on Disney day #1 happened during his scheduled time to be transformed into a pirate.  He passed on the face painting, was not feeling the tatoo selection and reluctantly accepted his "Jake hair" and sword ... this picture says it all:

 

 

After a quick visit to the Pirates of the Caribbean, the little man was back in the game complete with a variety of funny faces.

 

 

We fit in a few more Disney World adventures before the rain set it in and we headed back to the hotel for dinner.  The rain cleared up in time for us to catch another amazing evening of fireworks from our room.

 

After a little extra sleep we headed to Hollywood Studios ... the sun was shining and it was a perfect day.

 

 

Cael enjoyed lunch with some of his favorite Disney Junior characters ... they were so much fun!  Handy Manny was the big highlight for Cael, even though he didn't have all of his tools with him.

 

He even gave Princess Sofia a kiss,

 

got a check-up from Doc McStuffins,

 

and played Rescue Bots with Jake.  What more could a kid ask for?!

 

Disney Junior fun at lunch led into Disney Junior fun at a show featuring all of those characters.  Cael recovered nicely from a post-Disney Junior meltdown just in time to sing along to all of his favorite Frozen songs with Anna and Elsa.

 

 

We had just enough time before the evening fireworks and light show to visit with Mater and Lightning McQueen for a little bit.

 

The next day we were determined to get in every ounce of Disney fun that we possibly could.  Zac relived a little of his youth with a ride on Space Mountain ...

 

 

... while Cael fit in a little monster truck time.  We couldn't make it through a day without at least a little monster truck fun.

 



 

We enjoyed lunch with a few more friends.

 

 

Cael loved the parade and everyone he got to see walking down the street.

 

 

 

He was torn on who his favorite was in the parade but it was a close tie between Maleficent in dragon form ...

 

 

... and the crew from the Little Mermaid.  I'm not sure he had even heard of the Little Mermaid before this trip but Ariel and Flounder quickly became favorites during our time at Disney World.

 

 

Everybody enjoyed as many rides as we could handle ...

... and some final time with character friends ...

... before we said good-bye to Disney World.

We rounded out the day with dinner in bed and took in the fireworks for the last time.

 

We started off our final day at breakfast with all of our favorite chefs.

 

 

 

 

We then headed off to our last adventure at Animal Kingdom.  Cael loved all of the amazing animals that we saw during the day.

 

 

Can you find the hippo in this one?

 

 

He was also able to get his hands on a few of the animals that day ... sheep ...

 

 

... elephants ...

 

 

... and a couple of chipmunks.

 

 

They loved Cael's sweatshirt ...

 

 

... and Cael loved them.

 

 

We were sad to go but were content having enjoyed every waking (and sleeping) moment of the trip to Disney.

 

Listening to Cael share his favorite moments from the trip has been a lot of fun during the past week.  His recollections are so vivid and bring big smiles to his face.  Even as his memories fade, I'll always remember the excitement and joy that filled that little kid during this special trip.