William Kade

I feel like I am always saying it, but it's true... so I will say it again. Where has the time gone! I can't believe that Willie is 14 years old! 14!!! How did that happen? Wasn't it just yesterday we were checking into the hospital looking forward to his birth? After 3 girls in a row I was excited for another boy, had bought him a whole new wardrobe and was so excited to meet the little boy that I had dreamed about since before my first was born. He is my original bandit boy. This little man knew how to get in trouble from the time he was big enough to figure out how to get in trouble. And it was long before he even started walking! He kept me hopping. I always thought maybe my uncle Willie was looking over his shoulder telling him all of the things that would make me crazy, just for the fun of it! Willie's world seems to be constantly in motion. He has so much energy and is so full of life. He has a great work ethic. He can outwork some adults I know. He is a very kind hearted person who accepts others and loves to help out. He is the one that in second grade told a little girl that was struggling with her work put his arm around her shoulder and tell her that they were going to figure it out together. He is also the one that worried about not having a big family when he was in second grade. I teased him about it but he got really serious about it and told me he wanted a big family, bigger than ours, but the girls these days, he just didn't know if he could find one that would have more than 6 or so! We weren't sure which was funnier, that he was asking girls how many kids they were willing to have when they grew up, or the fact that he thought 6 kids was a small family. He is a joy and we are so grateful that he is part of our family!

Happy birthday Willie Kade... so glad that you are ours! (And yes I have cake pictures but I can't find my camera cord so sorry Willie, I will just have to blog again when I find it!) This was the cake our friends made for Willie's blessing day. Jerry and Deb made it... Deb said Jer did most of it. It is special to us to have this picture knowing that 3 months later Jerry's life would be taken in a tragic way. It means a lot to have memories of the really great people in our lives.

My sweet William Kade. It's funny... I knew that I would have my own Willie even before Garrett was born but each time we found out we were having a boy I knew that it wasn't him. 2 weeks before I found out I was expecting Willie I had gone to see my grandma who was dying of cancer. My grandma was my best fan. She had 10 children of her own and whenever someone said something about me having such a big family she would tell them to leave me alone, and that I was a good mom. That meant so much to me. I remember talking to her right after uncle Willie had died. He was only 20 and was her youngest, and 10th child. She told me that she would willingly go through the heart ache of losing him just to have had those 20 years with him. We talked about how she felt uncle Willie being close to her and I told her when she saw him again to tell him to hurry my Willie along to me. She told me she would. The day she died I found out I was expecting and I knew the moment I heard that she had pulled some strings and my Willie was on his way! I am so grateful to be able to be this young man's mom. He has added great things to this family and I look forward to seeing the man he will become!

His first Christmas... and he wasn't too impressed with Santa at the company party!

He is still a Cowboy's fan! Win, lose or draw... but he is a little competitive so the losing part kind of makes him sad!

The famous vaseline picture! This kid found more ways to make messes than I could even keep up with! Things like dumping a gallon of milk and adding red kool-aid and a 5 lb bag of sugar just to see my face when I walked into the room. Right after Wyat was born he came into my room while I was making my bed to check out his baby brother. And then walked around the corner into my bathroom. He was out of sight for 2 minutes... I was talking to a friend of mine in Montana and told her I better check and see why he was so quiet. I found him with his hands in the bottom of a large, brand new, but now empty vaseline jar. He was COVERED! While my friend laughed until she was ready to fall over I told him not to move while I went to get the camera to take a picture of his last day on earth. When I got back and snapped the picture he said, "Cheeeeeeeeessssssseeeeeeee!" He hadn't moved a muscle! This child has taught me so much. Like how to get vaseline off a brand new flannel shirt and brand new Osh Kosh overalls. And how to remove vaseline from hair, nose, ears, mouth... yep, I have learned so many useful things!

My sweet Willie Kade!

Right before getting his tonsils out. He is one tough boy! He has always been all boy, finding his way into more messes, and ending up in the ER for stitches time after time for thinking he was some sort of super hero!!!