Little Lady

Breakfast for a ballerina

Afternoon tea in the tub

Thanks Mae Mae for the gorgeous vintage dress

Thanks Honey for the sweet tutu

Cousins

Jordan's sister, Katherine, flew half way around the world with her husband, Michael, to bring us Harper Kate Valdes, Cadence's first cousin.

The humidity on this island does funny things to everyone's hair...Harper is no exception!

Cadence is enamored by this new little bundle of joy...


She tries to be helpful by sharing whatever she is eating with Harper




We caught Cadence pushing Harper over so that she could change her diaper...

But usually they play well together



They especially love bath time together

"Cousins are usually the first friends we have as children. No one will ever understand your crazy family like your cousins do."
-Anonymous

Valentine's Day

Jody and I often joke about romance being like a hidden treasure that he is constantly looking for and I am constantly hiding. It is seldom in the same place twice in a row. What is romantic today may not be what is romantic tomorrow. The other day, he painted my half bath in a new shade of grey paint, and I had been meaning to get around to that for a year. It was romantic. But if he gets the wild hair to paint the whole house grey tomorrow...not so romantic. Jody really found the romance this Valentine's day! He brought me flowers!

And he arranged for some friends to stay with Cadence so that we could have lunch at a new little restaurant.


But the most romantic thing to me is the way he loves his little girl.

He bought her a balloon for Valentine's day, which she thought was great. I was touched that he wanted this holiday to be special for her as well as for me. I hope that Cadence will learn from the way that her daddy loves her to always expect other boys to cherish her well. I am grateful that my parents loved me so well and gave me a high standard for what to expect in a husband. Thanks Jody, for 6 and a half wonderful years of marriage.

We also appreciate the Valentine book and care package from the grandparents! You made us feel special.

Party girl

Cadence was invited to her first birthday party recently, for a little boy in our neighborhood who was turning 1. I dressed her in a brand new party dress and determined to get her picture in the yard before we left. Just as I went to snap the shot, she decided to turn on the hose when she lost her balance and fell in the mud.

After cleaning her up and getting the door locked, I realized that she had left us in her hurry to arrive on time. I caught a glimpse of her headed down our alley.

She made a new friend on the way,

but couldn't persuade him to follow her to the party.

The birthday boy couldn't have cared less that she was there to celebrate him, but his family was delighted that we came.

Jody almost enjoyed himself.

Chocolate!

It's Cadence's latest word, and she can spot it everywhere we go. Her infatuation started with Jody's chocolate birthday cake. I thought that once the cake was finished, she would forget about Chocolate, but I was wrong.

Nothing is safe anymore

Cadence is a force of nature...unstoppable. Today she climbed the burglar bars in our window..

Right up to the curtain rod.

The other day she decided that she was going to wash her own hands in the sink...





Using soap, of course!

She avidly uses a step stool to help herself to whatever is on the pantry shelves...

Bacon bits are a favorite...even if they have to be picked off the floor after she knocks them down.

Anything left on the dining table is also fair game but her favorite find is ice left in a glass.



Cadence is a climber.

Breakfast with the Blantons

I've never been a morning person. Nothing good happens before 8am. I'm in survival mode until then. Everyone else has to fend for themselves at our house. That may mean that Cadence makes her own breakfast,

or chooses between what is in the fridge: Blueberry or Raspberry yogurt.

It may mean that Daddy cooks something up. (CRINGE)

Recently I woke to find Cadence putting lotion in her baby's ear.

Lately, when she isn't satisfied with her meal choices, she declares that she has to "go potty" which gets her unstrapped in a hurry. If she really can produce something, she gets a sticker which makes her so excited...although she isn't quite sure what to do with a sticker.