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10/28/06- "Happy birthday, Papa!" The first words out of Caleb's mouth this morning when he went downstairs. I could hear him talking away to Papa while I was feeding Daniel upstairs. He's just a little conversationalist!
Papa and Caleb hung out together throughout the morning while Nana and Daniel and I went to JCPenney's. They had a sale going until 1pm and mom had coupons, so we went and had fun shopping. When we got home, Caleb was excited to tell us all that he and Papa had done. They went to the dump together in Papa's truck (a highlight for Caleb!), and played soccer outside, and played with trains, and then had some lunch together.
The boys took naps and mom and I got things ready for the evening. I had already made a blueberry cream pie (a Paula Deen recipe- I love her recipes!), but one of dad's favorite desserts is banana pudding, so I brought everything to make that and made it while the boys napped. Mom made lasagne (yum) and Matt showed up just before dinner and when the boys got up. Caleb was so excited to see Uncle Matt- he just loves him.
We had a great dinner and cleared the table for dessert while dad got a shower. Caleb led "happy birthday" when he came in the kitchen and we had a nice party. Caleb just loves birthdays. Daniel just took everything in- I can't believe we'll be celebrating his 1st birthday in about 5 weeks! Where has the time gone...
10/27/06- The boys and I headed up to Nana and Papa's house (my mom and dad) to celebrate Papa's birthday. His birthday is tomorrow- he will be 55! Uncle Matt will be coming tomorrow after work, so we are all excited about the special day tomorrow!
The boys slept almost the whole drive up to Columbia, which is always nice. Caleb woke up around Murfreesboro, but was in a great mood. When he wakes up and says, "Mommy, I took a great nap!," I know he's gotten enough sleep!
We got there before dinner and the boys had fun playing. We had a yummy chicken dinner and the boys ate great. Sometimes I feel like I'm feeding a dog when I feed Daniel: I can cut up all of his food and put it in one bowl and then dump it on his tray, and he just shovels it in! He is so funny to watch! Caleb takes some prodding, but if it's something he likes, he eventually eats it.
10/25/06- Halloween party at the library! Wow- what an event! There were more kids today than there had ever been before (of course! They all heard 'party'!). All the kids wore their costumes and had their picture taken for the newspaper. They were so cute! Caleb was the only Thomas, but everyone loved his costume, and Daniel was an adorable little cow.
Before church, we took Aaron to the airport to fly to Oklahoma City. He's going out there for a few days and driving back his mom's very well-taken-care-of '97 Toyota Camry. She is graciously giving it to us and it will be nice to have another vehicle. Caleb, of course, started the "I miss Daddy," as we were pulling away from the airport. I felt bad, but Caleb tends to "drag" things out, so I just told him he'd be back in a few days and tried to get his mind on something else. We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner before church where kids eat free, so that was fun for the boys and I and Caleb was happy again.
Aaron called after church and said he made it there safely. Caleb said, right away, "thank you, God, for Daddy getting there safely to Oklahoma!" So sweet...
10/24/06- Tonight we carved and painted pumpkins, which was really fun! Aaron even carved the pumpkin for us after we scooped all the "guts" out and he did a GREAT job! Caleb painted a cute pumpkin (see picture on left). It was a fun activity for all of us to do!
10/21/06- What a beautiful fall day! We all went to the pumpkin patch today in Stevenson, AL. Aaron was really impressed with it. I was glad he got to go. He had class in the morning, but got out early, so he came home and went with us. I was so glad, because I knew the boys would love having him come and I knew it would help to have him there going on the tractor hay ride and getting the pumpkins.
We got there and Caleb wanted to go in the corn first. We even got Daniel in and he wouldn't stop smiling and laughing- he LOVED it! They both had a blast. We went on the tractor hay ride to the pumpkin patch and Caleb picked the first pumpkin that he saw! It was a cute one. Then we looked for 2 more, since Aaron and I had tickets, too. The ride back to the park area was fun, but when we got off the tractor and were heading back to the van to put our pumpkins away, Caleb got stung by a bee on his ear. Oh, he SCREAMED and just went crazy. I felt so bad for him. His ear got really red and swelled up. We took him in the little store/house that they had and the lady got some ice for him and some After Bite and cream. They gave him a little Spooky Pop (cake on a stick, shaped like a ghost) and that made him feel a little better. We still had a good time and he was excited about playing in the corn, going on the hay ride, and getting his pumpkin.
10/20/06- Well, today was one of Caleb's favorite days. We went to Wal-mart to get his picture taken with Thomas the Train. He was SO excited! He wore a Thomas outfit and his Thomas shoes and just looked so cute. The photographer was a very sweet lady and she said Caleb was just the best. He was smiling before she even said to smile! I planned on just getting the special, so we picked the first picture to get, but then she said they take 6 more poses. So, she took a few other ones of Caleb and then we decided to get Daniel in the last few, because Caleb was doing so well and Daniel was just watching what was going on. I'm also trying to prepare both of them for Christmas pictures, because that's not too far away!
10/18/06- Library day! It was fun to get back to the library after a week off last week for Fall Break. This week the craft was making ghosts. Caleb loved that! Next week will be the Halloween party and the librarian said to have the kids wear their costumes, because they'll be taking a picture and putting it in the paper. Caleb has said that he wants to be a ghost, but he just saw a Thomas costume in a catalog, so I have a feeling he'll be changing his mind. :)
Daniel had a rough night last night. He woke up around 3:30am this morning and wouldn't go back to sleep until 5:00am! He was crying at first and I tried to rock him back to sleep, but then he just acted awake and happy, like he wanted to play! He finally went down without crying at 5:00. I know those teeth are bothering him and he's nose has been running so much lately. Cut through, little teeth!
Tonight, before we headed to church, I ran upstairs to get something and the boys were both in the living room. We always block off the stairs going down to the the family room and foyer, so Daniel won't go down them. Well, shortly after I went upstairs, Caleb came up and said, "Mommy, Mommy!! Come see Daniel!! He's coming up the stairs!" And he's been playing around with that first step, but hasn't gone up them...until today!! When I ran to the steps, he was already halfway up them! I couldn't believe it. Caleb and I kept cheering him on and he made it all the way to the top and was so proud of himself. I don't think Caleb tried going up the steps until just before he started walking, which was around 14 months. But, then again, Caleb didn't have a big brother to watch run, walk, and get up the stairs all the time either! We'll have to
really watch Daniel now...
10/17/06- Happy birthday to Mommy! We had a fun day making crafts today. Mainly we made cards for Granny's birthday, which will be this Saturday. Daniel is still having a hard time with his teeth coming in. The top two front teeth have cut through, but now the ones on either side of them are trying to cut, and he's having a hard time with them. I feel so bad for him! Hopefully it will pass soon...
Aaron got home in time for me to get ready to go out with the girls and meet them at Provino's in Chattanooga. I had a GREAT time with the girls!! I love Provino's and their food and we all really enjoyed our meals and great conversation. It was a very happy birthday.
10/16/06- Tonight, we celebrated my birthday! The girls from church are taking me out tomorrow night on my birthday, so Aaron said we'd do it as a family tonight. When he got home, he called Caleb downstairs and I got ready for us all to go out to dinner. Caleb was so cute: he'd come upstairs and tell me, "Mommy, we're blowing up a lot of balloons for your birthday!," then, he'd go back down with Aaron. Then, he'd come upstairs and tell me, "Mommy, there are cherries on your cake!" It was so cute!! He was so excited.
We went out to Rapheal's for dinner, which is right here in town. Daniel just kept grabbing Aaron's spaghetti off his plate! He is definitely my eater. You give him food, and he's happy. Caleb is a different story. He's more picky, which makes it hard. But, maybe he'll grow out of it.
We got home and Aaron and the boys sang happy birthday to me. Aaron got a red velvet cake for me and it was so yummy! The rest of the evening, the boys played with the balloons and I got to update the website and watch them play. It was a great evening.
10/11/06 - 10/14/06- Camping time!!! Aaron is on Fall Break for the rest of the week, so he had planned for us to take a little trip in Alabama for a few days and get away. We went down to Alexander City, Alabama, home of Russell (athleticwear). They have a huge, beautiful lake there, Lake Martin, and we stayed in a cabin right on the lake- it was beautiful. The cabin had two small rooms with bunk beds, a bathroom, a little kitchenette with microwave, sink, and little fridge, and then a small living area with sleeper sofa and a table and chairs. Then, there was a great porch with a bench and table and chairs, and a grill and campfire off the porch.
It took about 3 and 1/2 hours to get there and we had a nice drive down. The boys were great. We arrived around 4pm and hurried to get things inside, because it was about to rain. Aaron hurried and got the grill going so we could cook the hot dogs. Caleb was so excited about going fishing, so Aaron took him down to the lake while the grill heated up. It was so cute watching he and Aaron walk down to the lake. We got the hot dogs cooked before the rain, and we sat on the porch to eat dinner. It was so beautiful. We ate quickly, because the church that we were going to started at 6:00pm. We made it there and enjoyed singing with the small group. They were nice people.
We got back to the cabin and made s'mores, which were so good. We were all really tired, so we pretty much ate the s'mores and got ready for bed. Caleb wanted to sleep on the couch and we brought Daniel's pack n' play for him to sleep in. They both slept great.
Thursday morning, we had breakfast and then Aaron went out fishing and the Caleb and I played around the cabin while Daniel took his morning nap. We had some ducks come near the shore of the lake, so we took some bread out and fed them. Caleb loved that. We just enjoyed relaxing. It was so nice to sit on the porch of the cabin and look out at the lake. Aaron got a great fire going before dark and cooked up a great meal for dinner. I brought these catfish nuggets that we had had before, and then cut up onions, green peppers and tomatoes, and put them on skewers to grill, and we wrapped potatoes in foil to put on the grill. Aaron cooked up the catfish and it turned out GREAT! And the vegetable skewers and baked potatoes were wonderful. It was a fantatsic meal. The rest of the evening, we enjoyed by the fire and made s'mores and drank hot chocolate. It was so nice.
Friday morning, we packed up and headed to Montgomery, AL. Florida College's volleyball team was playing in a tournament at a school there, so since we were only an hour away, we planned on going. They played great and it was neat to see some people from FC. After the game, we got a bite for lunch and then headed up to Charles and Vernita's in Hartselle. We made it up there by 4pm and went on the 4-wheeler. The boys enjoyed playing with their toys out in their sunroom. When Vernita got home from work, they took us out to eat at one of their local restaurants. We had a wonderful time with them and just had a great visit. We stayed up talking after the kids went to bed, which was fun.
Saturday morning, we had a great breakfast, made by Uncle Charles, and the visited a little bit more, and got on the road around 10am so we could go to the Space Museum in Huntsville. We decided to just walk around outside and let Caleb see the rockets, because it was expensive to go through the whole museum and we were kind of anxious to get back home. Well, that's all Caleb needed. He just loved being able to see the rockets and space shuttles! We let him get a space sticker book and a couple little toys from the gift shop, and they also had the penny making machine, so he was excited about all of that. Maybe when he and Daniel are older, we'll go back, but for now while they're this young, this was worth it.
It was a fun trip. Caleb had some behavior issues throughout the trip, but when we went to see the rockets, he was fabulous, and we told him that's how we expected hime to behave all the time. I think Caleb is just a "homebody," like Aaron. He likes his home and his own bed. That's exactly how Aaron is! It was good for our whole family to be together.
10/9/06- This morning, the boys and I headed up to Fall Creek Falls State Park, just north of us, about an hour and a half. An old friend of mine from church in NJ was going to be there, along with a big group of people, for a homeschool camping event. She had e-mailed me a few months ago and told me about it and invited me to come up for the day. There were also going to be some other people there that I would know, so since it was close, the boys and I went.
What a beautful park! If you haven't been, I highly recommend it. Some leaves were starting to change, but it will probably be a few more weeks before the peak. My friend, Lori, and her family were not there when we arrived, so the boys and I went around the park, saw the waterfalls, had our picnic lunch, and walked on some of the trails that they had. We really enjoyed that. I checked back about 3 hours later, and my friends still weren't there, and it was nap time for the boys, so I found a quiet place to park and the boys napped in the van while I read a magazine and my bible. After they woke up, I headed back over to the camp where they were supposed to be and they were there! It was good to visit with them and catch up with Lori. I also got to see another woman that I had remembered from Fair Lawn, NJ, Mary Beth, and was able to visit with her and her husband and two little boys. Caleb had fun playing with the two boys. Mary Beth and her husband live in southern Indiana and they came down with a one of my dad's cousins, who I had never met before, so I got to meet her and her family. That was really neat to meet some family I had never met before! It was dark and late, so I headed home around 7:45pm. I knew Aaron would get worried if I got home too late. We made it home safely around 9:30pm. It was a fun and busy day.
10/7/06- Today, Caleb and I went on a DATE! It was so much fun! I had ordered tickets for he and I to go see Disney on Ice in Chattanooga at the "Roundhouse," downtown. I didn't tell hime what we were going to see, but I talked up the date all week. It was so cute, because he'd look at Aaron and say, "guess what, Daddy? Mommy and I are going on a date!"
We had such a great time! It was incredible. When we were trying to find a parking spot, we passed the roundhouse, and I told Caleb we were going there, and he was so excited. Then, when we were walking up the steps to go in, he saw the Disney on Ice programs, and he said, "Mommy! Look!!!" It was even more exciting when we got inside and could see the stage and the ice down below. We ran to the restroom and then found our seats. They were in the upper level and we had a good view. It was a great show and they covered all of the great Disney stories: Aladdin, Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, Pinnochio, Toy Story, Mulan, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, and it ended with the story of Lion King. Of course, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald were all there. Caleb just loved it and I really enjoyed it, too.
After Disney on Ice, we ran to Hixson and went to a HobbyTown shop that had Thomas stuff and he played with their setup and looked at all the different trains. Then we went to Wal-mart to get some new sneakers. This kid's feet are growing so fast!! We got a new pair of Thomas shoes, so he was very excited.
This was really special for us to do, because since Daniel's birth, he and I haven't really been able to do things with just the two of us. And Aaron hasn't been able a whole lot of one on one time with Daniel. So it was good for everyone. When we got home, we decorated the porch with our fall decor and then had an easy dinner. It was a very special day and one I will remember for a long time.
10/6/06- We ran to Chattanooga today and had a good day. We went to Target and then to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. We hadn't been there in a while, so Caleb enjoyed playing in the play area. When I told him it was time to go, he got his shoes on right away and we left. He has been so great about leaving fun places when we say it's time to go. He's also been great about dressing himself, putting his shoes and socks on by himself, and doing more things on his own. It really helps out that he can do all of these things now, since we have little Daniel. Caleb is such a big boy!
After Chick-Fil-A, we ran to Babies R' Us and AC Moore Crafts. Daniel fell asleep while we were in the craft store and I had told Caleb that if he was good, we'd go to Books-A-Million so he could play with the Thomas the train toys. We went over there after the craft store and Caleb just had a blast playing. It was nice, because I was able to look around at some of the kids books in that section while he played and Daniel slept.
10/5/06- Today, Grandpa Collins came through again with a big truck. He was coming from Kentucky, so he got here around lunch time and took the boys and I to Dairy Queen for lunch and then we went to the Nickajack Park. It was such a pretty day and we had a nice time. Aaron was able to get home a little bit early, so he and his dad got to visit while the boys napped at home. We had a nice dinner and then Grandpa took us to Dairy Queen again for ice cream. Caleb wanted ice cream at lunch, but Grandpa said he'd take us after dinner with Daddy. We all had a nice visit.
10/3/06- Someone is getting more teeth! The two front ones on the top are trying to cut through, so hopefully it won't be too painful for Daniel.
We did crafts today and had a lot of fun. We made cards for our GREAT Uncle Charlie, who will turn 89 on Friday. Caleb enjoyed making cards for him. He loves this card making toy that I had as a kid- I'm so glad I saved it. It has all of these different plates for different occasions and you can choose which 3 you want to use, and then you put your paper over it and rub the crayon of the paper that's over the plates. It's neat to watch Caleb play with something that I used as a kid.
10/2/06- I went to my school this morning to burn some CD's for 5th grades' upcoming program. They are doing a different program this year, so I'm making CD's so each room can practice their songs. The boys were really good. Mr. Mathis (my sub this year) had a planning period from 9 to 9:45, so the boys just played on the carpet while I burned the CD's.
We played outside after lunch and had so much fun. Caleb and I played tennis and Daniel played in his pack n' play and had fun watching us play. Caleb and I also drew on the driveway with chalk and I drew up hopscotch. Caleb really enjoyed playing and Daniel just laughed and squealed everytime we jumped and hopped; it was so cute!!!
9/30/06- This morning, we headed out around 11am and went up to Franklin to some stores. We just looked around and then went to eat at a little Mexican restaurant. It was fun- we ate outside on their patio and it was so nice out there. Caleb loved eating out there. I just got a combo plate of a taco, burrito, and rice and beans and the boys and I all shared it. Daniel did great drinking from a straw and that made it nice for him to have some water with us during the meal.
I called my brother, Matt, since he was just about 30-40 minutes north of Franklin and decided to meet up with him at his house. We haven't been up there in a while, so it was good to go up and see his house during the daytime, because we've always been up there at night! They both napped on the way up and then woke up, excited to see Uncle Matt. We played in his backyard and got to see a couple trains go by, which was really exciting for Caleb. We went out to Logan's for dinner, which worked out great. I love Logan's, because their food is great and you get so much for a great price. I ordered their Mesquite Chicken, which came on a bed of rice, and then you got 2 sides on top of that! So, I just shared with the boys and again, I couldn't cut it up fast enough for Daniel. He's definitely going to be my eater. Maybe it will rub off on Caleb someday!
I got on the road around 7:30pm, and the boys fell asleep on the way home, which worked out great. It turned out to be a really fun day.
9/29/06- Fun day at the park, riding the trains and playing in the playground area. We brought a picnic and had a great day. Caleb had a blast riding the trains again. Daniel was really sleepy the second time we went on, and he was dozing as we rode!
Dad made steaks for dinner and we had Caleb's favorite meal: steak, or "soft chicken" as he calls it, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. He only likes the stems of broccoli, not the florets, so that works for me! I could not cut up food fast enough for Daniel. He'd be done with the little pieces of meat before I could put a bite in
my mouth! He is so cute to watch.
9/28/06- We got ready to go to Nana and Papa's this morning, because this is the weekend the trains are at the Maury County Park in Columbia. We stopped at that park on Monteagle Mountain on the way up so I could feed Daniel his lunch and Caleb played a little bit. Then we stopped in Manchester to get gas and run in Wal-mart. While we were in Wal-mart, Caleb spotted EVERYTHING Thomas the train. It turns out that Wal-mart has a special right now in the portrait studio where you can get your picture taken with Thomas and get a free book with the advertised package. Caleb was really excited so I told him we'd try to get that done in the next couple weeks.
The boys did great on the trip up. The slept the whole way from Manchester to Columbia, so it was a nice, relaxing trip for me! They were excited to get to Nana and Papa's and we had a fun night playing together.
9/27/06- This morning, we got up early so we could run errands before story time at the library. We ran to the bank, the post office, and my school. I knew my school would have a brochure about the pumpkin patch Caleb and I went to last year, and I wanted to check out dates and times. While we were there, we saw Ms. Kim, the bookkeeper and a very sweet lady. She just loves babies and kids and has watched Caleb a few times. Caleb just loves her. Well, he usually "performs" something for her while we are there, so today I asked him to sing the song of the books of the Old Testament, because he's really got it now (see video). So, he starts singing it, and he gets to Nehemiah and then skips right to "Haggai, Zechariah, and the last one, Malachi!" I said, "whoa! You skipped a bunch!" because I knew he could do all of them, and Ms. Kim was so impressed, she grabbed a handful of tootsie rolls out of the jar on her desk and stuffed his pockets! It was so funny!
Storytime went well and the theme was bats. They made cute little bats as the craft. We got home and had some lunch and then played outside. It was such a beautiful day. We had a good time.
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