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5/29/06- Party day! My dad pulled into Columbia, TN at their new house around 10:45am, and got in the car with my mom and drove over to Grandma's for Caleb's party. Caleb was so excited when they arrived, and also Uncle Matt (as you can see his party video clip!). We had a good lunch and a fun party. We also celebrated Aunt Jeanne's birthday, since it's the 30th. Nana and Papa and Matt got a lot of fun things for Caleb and he had a great time. But, by 3:30pm, he was exhausted, so he layed down for a nap and slept for about 2 hours.
We all left Grandma's by 6:00pm so we could go to the FC Friends concert in Franklin, TN. Their last show is always in Nashville/Franklin, and they usually have their largest crowd. Aaron and I have been 3 times since we've been here in Tennessee and we always enjoy it. They were great again and we were able to see some old friends and teachers we had from FC. My mom was able to see a really good friend that she hadn't seen in almost 25 years, so that was neat.
We followed Mom and Dad over to their new house after the concert, which was only about a 30 minute drive. Aaron was going to be helping a friend with basketball camp in the morning, so he drove back home after he toured their new house. (We decided that I would keep the van with me at their house so I would have the carseats, and Aaron drove my dad's car back home. Then, Aaron would drive it back on Thursday and we would all ride back home in the van!) Wow- what a house!!! It is so neat! I know they are going to love it and I know the boys will love playing there, too!
Aaron headed on, since he had it was about a 2 hour drive. Mom helped me get the boys ready for bed, and then I explored more of the house. Mom had only been in the house a few days, so they were still trying to find some things, so we opened up some boxes, trying to find things like silverware, and some bowls, etc. We didn't have too much luck, but it was so late and we were all so tired, so we headed to bed and planned on doing more tomorrow.
5/28/06- We went to church in Chattanooga this morning, but hurried home to eat a quick bite of lunch and then get on the road, so the boys could just sleep in the van for the their afternoon nap, and we could get up to Dickson in time for evening services. Daniel slept the entire way- it was great! Caleb slept about half of the way, and then asked the other half, "are we almost to Great-Grandma's?" "Where's Great-Grandma's house?" He was just so excited.
We went to church with Grandma, Jeanne, and David and the boys were absolutely fantastic. I was so happy! After services, one of the families who live next door to the building invited everyone over for a cookout, so we went over to that and had a great time. Again, the boys were very good. We headed home around 8:30pm, and I couldn't believe Daniel was doing as well as he was. He was definitely ready to eat and go to bed, so that's exactly what we did with the boys when we got back to Grandma's. It was a good day!
Oh, and as many of you know, my parents have moved down here to Tennessee, to the central part of the state, southwest of Nashville. My mom has been down here already the last couple weeks, and the moving truck came Thursday. But, my dad has still been up in NJ, because he was packing up the rest of the house before the truck came, and he had a few (what he thought were minor) repairs to do on the house. Well, he ran into a problem Friday night in one of the foyer closets, and it turned out to be a bigger problem than he expected. So he finally finished it at 2 in the morning, and he was finally able to get on the road by 3:00pm this afternoon. It's hard to believe that they are officially out of NJ! But, I know they are excited to begin a new chapter of their life in TN.
5/27/06- This morning, Aaron watched the boys while I went to school this morning for the last day!! Yeah! He had a lot to do while I was gone, because we're having Caleb's party with the kids from his Bible Class this afternoon. He is so excited for his Thomas the train party. Aaron took care of finishing up things while I was gone and getting the boys fed and down for their naps. On my way home from school, I had to stop at Ingles to get balloons blown up and pick up the cake. The cake turned out so great! The little track and Thomas train that goes on top is just perfect. I know Caleb will love it.
When I got home, Aaron had done so much- he is the best!! Since the boys were sleeping, I was able to get a lot done. I decorated with balloons and streamers, finished getting food ready, and Aaron hung the Thomas pinata. Caleb has been looking forward to the Thomas pinata all week!
The boys woke up happy from their naps. We dressed Caleb in his Thomas shirt and brought his little blue table down to the living room, along with the train tracks and trains, and some crayons and Thomas coloring sheets, so the kids could be playing while we got everything ready to eat. The kids played with this stuff throughout most of the party, so it gave the adults a chance to just eat and relax- it was so nice!
We ate dinner: london broil, chicken, a pasta salad, corn, and watermelon. Then, we did the pull-string Thomas pinata outside. The kids loved it; they all took turns pulling the strings, and about 15 ribbons later, the pinata finally opened and dropped all of the candy. The kids had so much fun picking it up and putting it in their bags. We got a cute picture afterwards of all the kids with the pinata.
Then, we went inside and did the cake. It was a great tasting cake, and everyone really liked it. I really love Ingles grocery store- they do a great job. Then, the kids played some more with the train tracks, and balloons, and then we opened presents. Caleb loved all of his gifts, and gave EVERYONE a hug after he opened everything. It was so sweet. Caleb is very sweet, but he doesn't usually just go up and hug people, so it was so nice of him to do that.
After everyone left, Aaron and I cleaned up, and Caleb played with some of his new toys. At one point, he said, "Mommy, I had so much fun at my party!!" That was worth it all- I'm so glad he had so much fun.
We spent the rest of the evening getting things packed and ready to go to my grandmother's in Dickson, TN (for the LAST and FINAL birthday party for this little boy!). The boys and I packed a little extra, because we're going to go over to my parents new house in Columbia, TN Monday night and stay a few days! It will be so nice to see them and have them closer now.
5/26/06- Today was just a staff day at school, so I spent all morning packing up my stuff that I want to take and keep at home, and cleaning up my office and the music room. I didn't think I was going to get it all done, but I did. It was so nice to be done that day with everything.
I went to pick up the boys and all of their stuff, because this was their last day. It was Caleb's last day of daycare, because he'll be staying home with me next year. He has really grown to love Dee Dee and Cee Cee and all of the kids there. So many times in his prayers, he'll say, "...and thank you for schooltime!" I know he's enjoyed it.
5/25/06- Tonight, I had 6th grade's award's banquet, so Aaron stayed home with the boys. I just can't wait for school to be over- it's almost done!! 2 more days!!
5/24/06- The last two days, I've been trying to practice with the whole school for a surprise program for the principal, since she's retiring this year. It's been stressful, but worth it. The program was this morning, and everything went great. We had the whole school come to the gym and she stayed in the office. Then, we got the crowd clapping to "Pretty Woman" while she was brought in the gym! The whole school sang, "It's a Small World," which is one of her favorite songs, and then the Chorus sang a very meaningful song. It was a very special program. She will be really be missed.
Caleb and the other kids at school got to go to the park today, and they loved it! They all had a great time, and then Dee Dee went and got them chicken nuggets and fries from Wendy's. It's hard to believe school is almost over!
5/23/06- It was so nice today, so we all played outside when we got home. The boys just love to be outside. Caleb's been playing golf and tennis a lot lately and enjoying the challenges that come with both sports. He's also been doing well with pedaling his tricycle.
For dinner, we had Caleb's favorite: chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn, and rolls. He ate really well. Daniel is also doing well with food. He's been eating his vegetables and fruit and cereal really well! There's not much of a variety at this point: carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, squash, and green beens, and then pears, applesauce, bananas, and peaches. There are only so many combinations!
5/22/06- CALEB IS 3 YEARS OLD TODAY!!!!!! HURRAY!!!! I went in to his room this morning and said softly, "guess what today is?" and he woke up right away and said, "my birthday!!!" Then he said, "I'm going to tell Daddy it's my birthday!" So, since Aaron was already at school, we called him, and when Aaron answered the phone, Caleb said, "my birthday is today, Daddy!!" He was so cute and so excited! We got ready for school, dressed in a Thomas shirt (of course!) and headed to school with the Thomas napkins and cupcakes. Caleb has been in a very loving mood lately, and the whole way to school, he kept saying, "I love you, Mommy." He is such a sweet child.
I went over to feed Daniel, and then stayed while the kids finished up lunch and got the cupcakes ready with the candles. The kids were so excited, especially Caleb! They all sang to him and enjoyed the cupcakes.
I stopped at Wal-mart on the way home to see if they had anymore Thomas party stuff in, because I still hadn't found the Thomas cups for the party. They didn't have them, so we just headed home. When we got home, we played outside for a little bit, and I had taken out chicken to make Caleb's favorite meal: chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. Well, Aaron asked if we could just go to Raphael's (our local Italian place we all like), since it was late, and just make the meal tomorrow. So that's what we did! We all went to Raphael's and had a good time. It was a special day, but the big Thomas party will be on Saturday with his friend's from church. By the end of May, Caleb will have had 4 parties!!
5/21/06- Aaron made it home from a good trip with the people he teaches with at AEC (Alternative Education Center). Today I made cupcakes to take to Caleb's school tomorrow for his birthday. I can't believe he's going to be 3 years old!
5/20/06- The boys and I just enjoyed a nice relaxing day at home. We had some thunderstorms in the evening, but made it through just fine. We look forward to Daddy getting home tomorrow!
5/19/06- Aaron will be on a camping trip this weekend up at Fall Creek Falls with the people that he has taught with at the alternative school this past year. The boys and I have lots to do while he's gone!
After school, we went over to Chattanooga to get a new carseat/booster seat for Caleb. He needs a new one and he's ready for a booster. He loves the new seat we got! We also went to pick up the boys baseball pictures at JCPenneys. Yea!! I really like the girl that does their pictures- she's the manager there, and when I walked in, she said, "well, hi, Collins boys!" I was so impressed that she knew exactly who we were and remembered us. She's the same girl who did Daniel's 7 week pictures.
After we picked up the pictures, we walked through the mall so Caleb could see the motorized minature train station that they have setup in the mall. Everytime we walk out of Penney's and into the mall, Caleb says, "oh, wow! This is the place I like!!" After we saw the trains, we had to go change Daniel's diaper, so we went to Parisian's to take care of that, since they have that nice "Diaper Depot" setup downstairs. Caleb had just been so good, so I let him play in the indoor playground area, but I told him only 5 minutes, because I really needed to get the rest of his Thomas the train party stuff, and Daniel was going to want to eat soon, too. He played for 5 minutes, and came right away when I called him- no fits about wanting to play longer- it was great! Daniel had also been great, too. He just looked around and smiled wherever we went, even though it was very close to feeding time.
Caleb started getting hungry, so while we were at the mall, we just got Chick-Fil-A at the food court and shared a nugget meal. After we ate, we loaded up in the van and I debated about whether to feed Daniel or go to Party City first. I drove by Party City to see when it closed. 9:00pm Eastern, and it was 8:30pm!! So, I decided to feed Daniel since it was past feeding time. It's a good thing I did, because when I got in there at 8:50pm, there was a very long line!! I told Caleb to help me find Thomas stuff, because he has an internal Thomas radar! He can spot Thomas anywhere- seriously! We found what we needed and then went down to where they had pinatas. I told Caleb about pinatas one time, and now he really wants one for his party! They had a Thomas one, so we grabbed that and got in line. Oh, and since they were about to close, I didn't get the stoller out for Daniel, so I'm carrying him on my hip while carrying a basket with all of this Thomas stuff and trying to keep Caleb close by in a party store!! We got in line, and of course, there's only one register open with a line of 8 people- ahhhhh! Thankfully, the lady in font of me let me go in front of her when we got closer, which was really sweet. Caleb occupied himself in line with a dice, and both boys were fabulous.
Daniel fell asleep on the way home, and Caleb said he was tired once, but he was so great. When we got close to home, I asked Caleb if he could go upstairs when we got home and go potty and take off his clothes and put in them in the dirty clothes basket while I got Daniel in bed. He said, "Yes, ma'am," but I was curious if he would really do all of that. I heard him in there while I changed Daniel, and as I was laying him down in this crib, Caleb came in with his pajamas from his drawer, and was starting to put them on. I was so proud of him. My little boy is growing up!! He was so great and it made it so nice.
5/18/06- What a fun day!!! I took the 7th and 8th grade chorus kids to Lake Winnie today (the small amusement park in Chattanooga) and decided to take Caleb, too!! He was so excited the whole way there and he was even more excited when we got there and he saw all of the rides. I had so many parents come and only had 16 kids, and they're some of the best kids in the whole school. The kids went in different groups with moms in each group, and 2 other moms walked around with me and Caleb, which was fun. We all had so much fun watching Caleb go on the little kiddie rides. We went on the first ride together: Dumbo! We got inside the elephant and I told Caleb that we were going to go around and around and then lift up in the air. When we went up, he got so excited!! He was not afraid of anything that we went on throughout the day. We even went on the Ferris Wheel together, and I was more scared than he was! I just hate being stuck at the top and I'm also afraid of heights. Caleb would just ask, "why did we stop, Mommy?"
The other 2 moms and Caleb and I went on the Tilt-a-Whirl together, and the Antique Cars, and the little catepillar roller coaster, and the Boat Chute, and they even had a train that rode around the whole park. Caleb loved that, of course! It was such a great day- I'm so glad I took him.
Caleb slept on the way home, which I knew he would, because it had been a long day. After I dropped the 2 kids who rode with me off at the school, I drove over to pick up Daniel. On the way there, Caleb woke up for 5 seconds and said, "I had so much fun, Mommy!" and then went right back to sleep!
5/15/06- Gigi and Papa O and Nanny all left today to head back to Oklahoma. We had a good visit with them and we'll go out to see them in June. We haven't been out to Oklahoma the past couple years, so it will be good to go!
5/14/06- Happy Mother's Day to Mommy!! The first thing Caleb said this morning when he opened his eyes was, "I love you, Mommy." He and I have been sleeping on the sleeper sofa downstairs while we've had the family here. I love my 2 boys so much and I wouldn't trade them for anything!! They are SOOOOOOOOOOO special!!
5/13/06- We had a nice morning and the weather was so beautiful. We decided to take all of them up to Foster Falls, north of Jasper. They really enjoyed it, and all of them even did the hike down to the falls! Daniel and I stayed behind, because it was time for him to eat when we got there, and I didn't want to take him all the way down there. But, he and I enjoyed walking around.
Both boys fell asleep on the way home, so we laid them down when we got home. Then, Gigi got everything decorated for the party while I ran out and had balloons blown up. We did a tractor party!! Caleb loved it! He came upstairs from his nap, and looked around and just said, "WOW!!" He was so cute opening his presents and blowing out the candles on his cake. He kept saying throughout the evening, "I had a fun party!"
5/12/06- This morning, all of the kids at the daycare came over to say the pledge on our morning news program at the school. They did such a great job!! I taped it, so I'll have to put on the website soon.
Gigi and Papa O and Nanny picked Caleb up from daycare and they all went to a John Deere tractor place in Cleveland, TN. Then they went up on Lookout Mountain and went on the Incline Railway and through Hyde Park. They all had a great time and Caleb is still talking about going on "the train!" While Caleb took a little nap in the truck, Gigi and Nanny ran into a party store and picked up some party stuff so we could celebrate his birthday with them before they left to go back to Oklahoma. We'll celebrate it tomorrow afternoon with them.
5/11/06- Tonight I had to go to 4th grade's program. I had planned on NOT going, for several reasons, but mainly because it turned out to be the week of the meeting. But, there are only 3 people at my school who know how to run the stage lights for programs, and one is in Hawaii for a friends' wedding; the second is my principal's husband, and their daughter was having a baby on this day, and they changed the C-section from early morning to afternoon, so they couldn't be there. So the third person was me! Aaron went on to the meeting, but everyone else was having a hard time, so they all stayed home, and they were able to keep Daniel, which was nice.
5/10/06- Third day in a row!! Busy, busy week!
Today, I gave Daniel some applesauce for the first time, after I fed him at 4:00pm. He did really well with it and seemed to really like it!
Bob and Sandi got the foyer, living room, and dining room lights hung. They look great!
5/9/06- Yep- same routine as yesterday!!
Bob and Sandi got most of the ceiling fans down, which was nice!
5/8/06- If we make it through this week, it will be something!! I felt like we got up, got ready for school, went to school, then picked the boys up at 3:00pm, went home, fed Daniel, had supper, got ready for church, went to the meeting, came home, got the boys ready for bed, and then got myself ready for bed. I think that's going to be the routine for the week, because there's really no time for anything else!!
Thankfully, Sandi and Nanny are so good about cooking. They had dinner ready to put on the table when we got home, so that makes it nice. Bob and Sandi plan on putting up the lights throughout the week that we got the other day from Lowe's. Those will be really nice!
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