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5/28/07- We had my Grandma and Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Tim come down for Memorial Day at my parents' house. It was a great day- very relaxing. We did celebrate Caleb's birthday with all of them while we were there. He got some really neat things: a very nice tricycle, a little kid's croquet set, a ring toss set, some clothes (Cars underwear!) and pajamas, and a Cars camping set with tent, sleeping bag, water bottle, compass, and backpack. He wanted to set that up right away. It is so cute! He also wanted to ride the tricycle right away. We headed home that evening, after we got everything packed up in the van. It was a great long weekend at Mom and Dad's.
5/27/07- This evening for church services we attend the Jackson Heights congregation in Columbia and were able to see some really good friends: The Hayes and the Sullivans. It was great to see them and see how much their kids have grown! The Hayes just moved to Spring Hill and The Sullivans are planning on moving to the same area. Both guys are doctors and they are planning on opening a practice together in that area.
When we got back to Mom and Dad's, the pool was filled up! But, the water was too cold to go in. It won't be long now!
5/26/07- We spent the day working outside at my mom and dad's, cleaning things up for Monday's picnic. They've had a bunch of projects going on at their house, along with getting a new pool put in. Dad's been putting rock walls in, preparing for patios and decks, pavers, etc. We cleaned off the back porch and tables and chairs so they would be ready. The boys had fun playing with all the outdoor toys: golf, soccer ball, whiffle ball, etc. They also enjoyed the little pool that mom got them. It was hot enough outside, so we got their swim suit on. Daniel has been funny about the water lately- even when getting a bath. We haven't figured it all out yet, but hope he'll outgrow being afraid. He loves to climb in and out of the pool, but he doesn't like being splashed.
While the boys took their afternoon nap, Aaron and I relaxed and then got ready to go out to dinner. We had asked mom and dad if they'd watch the boys while we went out to eat. We've been wanting to go out for a while now, by ourselves, and also to celebrate Aaron's graduating with his EDS degree. We had such a great time. We went to J. Alexander's in Franklin, which was REALLY good. Then, we went to Starbucks to get a coffee. We enjoyed talking and just being together. It was really very nice.
We got home in time to get the boys their baths and play a little bit before they went to bed. They are just so cute. Daniel is talking more and more! We can't get over it. We don't quite understand everything, but he always has something to say.
5/23/07-5/25/07- We had a bit of sickness here at the house the last few days. Actually, on Caleb's birthday, Daniel threw up a few times- not sure what brought that on. He must have caught some bug. He was better by the evening and wanted to eat dinner, which was a good sign. But, the next day, he still didn't seem "up to par," so he stayed home from church with Daddy. That must have been just the medicine he needed, because when Caleb and I got home, he was happy and laughing all over the place!
On Thursday, Caleb woke up with a pretty high fever- 101.6. He went right back to bed after I took his temperature, and he slept through most of the morning! I knew he wasn't feeling well if he was sleeping that much. He woke up for a little bit around lunch, but didn't want anything, so he went back to sleep. He had some apple juice, but that was about it. He felt better in the evening, but I knew he must have been completely worn out to be sleeping as much as he did.
Friday, everyone was doing better, so we made our plans to head up to Nana and Papa's for the long Memorial Day weekend. Aaron and I have been wanting to get away from home for a little bit, so we were excited to go. We stopped to eat dinner on the way and made it up just before bedtime. The boys were very excited, but eventually settled down to bed.
5/22/07- Oh, my sweet Caleb. It is so hard to believe that you are 4 years old already. It seems like just yesterday I had you and now you are such a big boy, doing so many things and you are so much fun.
I've been thinking a lot about how much you have learned while you were 3 years old. You are able to do so many things now and we are so proud of you. You have learned how to buckle your seatbelt on your carseat. You have learned to get all dressed ALL by yourself. You know how to button buttons, zip zippers, put your shoes and socks on, and this has been such a big help to Mommy and Daddy. You have improved your prayers to God over the year. Each time you say a prayer now, you are truly speaking from your heart, and it shows. There are many times I have tears in my eyes after you pray. You have learned how to write letters and write your name. You have learned how to read, Caleb. You amaze us everyday with how you sound out words and really think about what letters say and what the rules are for different letter combinations. You are doing such a great job with that and Mommy and Daddy are so proud. We know you'll continue to improve in your reading and it will be something you'll always be glad you know how to do.
Caleb, you have an incredible mind and a wonderful heart. The things you think of amaze us and the things you say sometimes leave us speechless, because we didn't realize a 3 year old could think that way. You melt my heart when you say things like, "thank you for washing my clothes, Mom." and "you look so pretty in that dress, Mommy." and "this is a great dinner, Mom!" Your daddy has been a great example to you and your brother and I'm so glad you are following his example in complimenting people.
I love our conversations that we have, especially after you have been disciplined severely. I know this sounds contradicting, but it's true. It is hard to punish you, but we know it is the right thing to do, according to God's word. You have "your moments" and we continue to work on them, but you have learned how to apologize for your wrong actions and change your behavior for the better. This will be a "work in progress" for a good portion of your young life, but it will pay off when you are older.After you calm down and we talk, your precious heart shines through. The things you say melt my heart and make me cry tears of joy inside. I know this is all God's plan. It is so cute to hear you say, "let's talk some more, Mommy!"
I wish you a very happy 4th birthday and hope that you'll continue to grow in the Lord. You are such a special boy and we all love you very much.
Love, Mommy
5/19/07- "Somebody" (any guesses who?) woke up at 6:15am this morning, got all dressed, and wanted to play with his new toys that he got at his party last night. Any guesses? He was just so excited!! At 6:30am, he wanted me to help him put together one of the toys. I was so exhausted, but I helped him put it together. Aaron keeps saying he thinks he is going to be an engineer, and I don't mean a train one. The way his mind works and the way he puts things together amazes us. He was telling me where things went on this little toy. We did have to get up and out early to meet with a realtor about a couple houses Aaron's mom was interested, so we did have to get up- but not at 6:15am!!
We made it over to meet the realtor, and she had a card for Caleb, which was so sweet, and it had $4 in it, since he was turning 4. She said in the card that it was candy money, but he said right away, "I want to put this money in my account!" Smart boy.
After meeting with the realtor and going to the houses, it was lunch time, so we went to CiCi's pizza, which was good, and then we all went home and took naps. We were ALL exhausted!!!!
5/18/07- PARTY DAY!!! CARS PARTY DAY! I downloaded some different songs about "cars" for a CD to play during the party. Some songs were from the movie Cars, and others were just car songs. We finished cleaning up last few things in the house and then ran to Ingles to get balloons blown up and pick up the CAKE! What a cake! Caleb was jumping up & down as we were checking out, because he saw all of his Cars balloons and his cake. It was really starting to hit him! We got home and worked on cleaning up tables and putting table cloths on. While the boys napped, Aaron and I decorated the backyard by tying the balloons to the fence and taping the table cloths. Everything really went well. When Caleb woke up and went outside, he was so excited! People started arriving and the kids just had a blast. It was really a nice evening. We had (at Caleb's request) chicken and rice and carrots and salad for dinner, and rolls. We had a Lightning McQueen Pinata, filled with candy and cars, and some little ring lip gloss things for the girls. The cake was great- it had a Lightning McQueen car on it, and as soon as Caleb blew out his "4" candle, he grabbed that car and started licking the icing off the tires! After cake, it was starting to get dark, so we went in and Caleb opened his presents. He got some great things: some books, a cool frisbee, a train engineer outfit, Mack the truck from Cars & Lightning McQueen cookie, a Ripstick Mater toy, a Thomas the train Sprinkler, and a cute little lantern. He was so thankful for everything and for the party. He said several times, "this was the best birthday party EVER!" That was worth it all...
5/17/07- Rise and shine, bright and early! My dad went with us to the dentist, which really helped out. Caleb wasn't supposed to have anything to eat, because they were going to fill his 2 cavities. Then, after they checked him and cleaned his teeth, they found another one in the a top molar! I was so disappointed, and the dentist reassured me that we have not done anything wrong- some kids are just more suseptible to cavities than others, and Caleb does have the deep grooves in his teeth. They said the rest of his teeth looked great and they found no plaque, so that was good. Daniel screamed and cried the whole time they cleaned his teeth. I asked the assistant if this was normal for this age, and she said, "completely!" She said it's scary for them, lying down with this big mask staring down at them, and then they're being "held down" so they don't grab at what's in their mouth. After both boys had their teeth cleaned, they went back and played in the play area.
Next, they sedated Caleb, which was basically just a "kool-aid" flavored sedative drink, and he could play for 20 minutes, and then relax and rest the next 20 minutes. I never saw a difference in him after the 40 minutes, or even before he went back there. I hated watching him go with the nurse, because I knew he had no idea what they were going to do, and I did. I just smiled and told him I loved him. He smiled happily and told me he loved me, too. Then, about 20 minutes later, he came back to me in tears. The nurse told me he had a hard time, but did really well. They didn't numb him, because they saw that the cavities were very small after they did the x-rays, so he felt everything they did. Oh, I felt so bad for him. She did tell me how cute he was in the back, telling them his birthday was coming up, and how if he got any money, he was going to put it in his account. She thought he was so smart and cute.
After the dentist, we went to Sonic and let Caleb get a milkshake. They suggested that at the dentist office, since he hadn't had anything to eat, but needed to have soft foods for the first few hours. He loved having that milkshake and he seemed totally fine after having that.
We got back to Nana and Papa's house and played outside for a while. Papa took turns riding the boys on his ATV, which they loved. Then they played with some balls. We had lunch and got on the road to head home. Lots to do to get ready for that party tomorrow night!
When we got home, I worked on some things while the Aaron and Caleb put together the goody bags. Caleb loved doing that. We got a lot done for the party, which would make tomorrow even easier.
5/16/07- Oh, this is a crazy week, and probably the busiest week, and we're having Caleb's birthday party this week! AHHAHAH!!! We had graduation from story hour at the library this morning and Caleb did exactly what I thought he'd do when she put the hat on him. If you watch the video, you see him just give the biggest frown on his face! He did NOT want to wear one of those hats! It was kind of funny, because he was the first name called, so everyone thought it was so funny when he reacted like that. I was expecting it, though. He just doesn't like wearing things like that, especially hats. Thankfully, I talked with him out in the hall and he put it on (reluctantly) for the group picture that was being put in the paper. He smiled through his tears and did a great job. He took it off as soon as they were done, which was fine.
We raced home to get ready to go up to Nana and Papa's house, because the boys had their dentist appointments tomorrow up near them. The appointments are at 8:00am, so it made sense to go up the night before and spend the night with them. I drove up there while the boys napped, which worked out well. We got up there and the weather was beautiful and windy, so Caleb had fun flying one of his Cars kites that we got for his party. We had dinner and then went to church. It had been months since we had been there where my parents go, so it was good to see everyone there. They coudn't believe how much the boys had grown.
5/14/07- Well, the boys made it through all the practicing for 6th grade's program. They have been such troopers through all of this and I'm glad everything worked out. Caleb had fun singing the songs they were doing and pretending like he was playing the instruments. Daniel has enjoyed "be-bopping" to the music. The 6th graders were doing a dress rehearsal show for the school with their costumes on and everything, so I took them over to Dee-Dee's at the daycare next door for their naps. That way, I knew someone was able to be there in case they woke up. That worked out well. After today, we won't have to go to the school again for a while!
5/13/07- Today was our last Sunday at Sweeten's Cove. It's just gotten to be too much with Aaron's deacon responsiblities at North Terrace and it's a hard day on the boys, because the afternoon is cut in half with starting late on Central time. There were also some other things too, but the people there have been great to us, and we will miss them. During church services, Daniel actually fell asleep just sitting in my lap, sucking his thumb and rubbing his night-night taggie blanket. That was really nice! We'll see if he does this again next Sunday.
5/11/07- We spent the morning at the school, practicing in the gym. The program is Tuesday, so we only have a couple more days of coming to the school. The boys did well today in the gym. There is more room to play and things are more spread out, so they did better in there.
We went to Wal-mart to pick up some things for Caleb's birthday party next week, and then headed home. I just ran in the house real quick to get something and then we headed over to Daddy's school for a special evening of games and fun at his school's Spring Fling. We got there right at the beginning, which worked out great. It was one of those events where you buy a bundle of tickets and then the different games and events are in the different rooms of the school and each one "costs" a certain number of tickets to play, and then you get prizes afterward. The boys had a lot of fun and we were all excited to see Daddy. A bundle had 25 tickets, so I warned Caleb when we were down to the last few, to make sure he knew we could only do one or two more things. Just after we finished our tickets, we went in the cafeteria to get some popcorn and realized you had to use tickets. All of the sudden, Aaron's principal walked in, bent down and gave Caleb a bundle of tickets! It was so sweet of her! So we stayed a little bit longer and did some of the favorite events again. We left about an hour before it ended, because we were done and it had been such a long day.
5/10/07- School! Bright and early! We went in to practice with 6th grade and the boys did GREAT today. The 6th grade girls who have been helping out with the boys have been great and Caleb is growing attached to them. Daniel, on the other hand, is teething terribly, trying to cut his "I" teeth, so he has been very attached to Mommy lately and not liking the girls picking him up. Hopefully, he'll make it through the next couple days.
Since the boys were so good, especially Caleb, I decided to take them to the South Pittsburg park for lunch. I had made their lunch and brought it, so we were all set. As we were leaving the school, we passed Mrs. Wayne in the hall, and Caleb told her we were going to the park for a picnic. She bent down, opened her wallet, and gave Caleb 2 dollar bills- one for him, and one for Daniel, so they could get an ice cream at the Dixie Freeze. She has 2 boys about the same age difference as Caleb & Daniel, only hers are 16 and 19, so she looks at our 2 boys and it makes her think back to when hers were small.
We had a great time at the park and then we did go to the Dixie Freeze. The boys were covered in swirled vanilla & chocolate ice cream. Mrs. Wayne happened to be at the Goodwill across the street looking for costumes for the program, and she saw us and came over. She took a picture with her camera phone of the boys- they were definitely a sight!
5/9/07- Busy morning! Ran to the school quickly to drop off another CD, then ran to Dr. Fox to check Daniel's ears. He still has the fluid in his ears, going on 2 months now. The "pediatric" rule is when it's been in there for 3 months, something needs to be done. We'll see what happens when we go next month. After the Dr. visit, we ran to story hour at the library. Next week is the last week and also graduation, so we really needed to be there today; we've missed the last 2 weeks with all that's been going on!
5/7/07- The next week is going to be busy, busy! I'm helping with 6th grade's program, which means we will need to get over to the school early each morning. Thankfully, Caleb is getting dressed all the way to his shoes each morning, even before he comes out of his room! I just lay his clothes out, and he gets up and gets dressed, and then comes in to show me how he's already!! Thank you, sweet boy! This will help Mommy so much next year when we're all back at school!
Today, Caleb ate lunch in the cafeteria with some of the 6th graders while I took Daniel and made some copies in the workroom for the program. Mrs. Wayne, one of the 6th grade teachers, bought him a tray, but I found out later, he ate oreos and ice cream that the 6th grade girls got for him. No wonder he was bouncing off the walls afterwards! We left shortly after handing out the copies of the lyrics, because I could tell the boys weren't going to make it much longer. We'll be back at the school off and on this week, helping 6th grade!
5/3/07- All day I heard Caleb ask, "Mommy, when will I go to Ms. Kim's house?" He knew that today was the day he and Daniel were going to Ms. Kim's house (one of the secretaries at the school). Aaron and I had the Pre-K meeting this evening, so I had asked Kim if the boys could come over while we were at the meeting. Of course, she was glad to and the boys had a blast. They got pizza from Domino's and were having ice cream when we came to pick them up. They were also watching Lion King, but they had just started it, so she let us take it home. We enjoyed watching some more of it when we got home, but then it was time for bed. Fun evening!
5/2/07- We went to the school this morning to help 6th grade with some things for their program. Afterwards, we stopped at Pizza Hut for their lunch buffet, because Caleb had read another 10 books and did such a great job reading yesterday at Daddy's school. The boys really enjoyed that and Daniel was covered with sauce! After we got him all cleaned up, we went by the library and returned our books that were due and got some new ones. Daniel cracks me up. He'll have me get him a book off the shelf and then walk over to the little seats that they have, and he'll sit there with the book with this HUGE smile on his face, like he's so proud of himself. It's so cute. He's really been enjoying books lately. He'll just flip through the pages, but he really likes books. While we were checking out our books, I asked if they had a sign language book for babies and toddlers, and the lady ran and got one. Daniel showed them how he signs "please" and they thought he was so adorable! We look forward to learning more signs in the book.
5/1/07- This morning we went over to Daddy's school so Caleb could read to the reading specialist at his school. Aaron has been telling her about how Caleb is reading and she really wanted to hear him, so it was a good day to go. Caleb did FABULOUS!! He read one book to the principal first. Just hopped in her lap and read her a book about Cats (focusing on the sound of short A). All of the people in the office peeked in to watch him and listen. He was so cute! Then, we went over to the reading specialist and he read another book for her, "Gifts for Gus," the sound of G. She also had him read part of another book, and he did a really good job with that one as well. She was so impressed with how well he's doing and how he's blending and sounding out words. She had some special things for him- a writing tablet, some pencils & sharpner, and a book. He was so excited!
While we were down that way, we met up with the Brown girls from church at a park in LaFayette. We had lunch and the kids played- it was really nice and the park was great. The kids had so much fun together and it was great to spend time with Danielle.
The boys napped on the way home and when we got home, Caleb woke up and wanted to use his new pencils and writing tablet right away. He kept saying, "Mommy, can I do homework? I want to do more homework!" We sure didn't say no!! That was something he said all on his own. He probably won't always be so excited about homework, so we want him to enjoy it now.
4/28/07- Cornbread Festival!!! Paul & Amy and my mom all came down last night and were ready to go this morning to the festival. We had a great time walking around, smelling cornbread and other great food, looking at the various craft booths, and watching Caleb play in the Kiddie Korner on all the jumping things and fishing in the fountain. After a good philly cheesesteak for lunch, we were ready to head home. Daniel fell asleep while we were there, and he was ready to go, too!
When we got back home, we all played outside. It was so nice outside and we all enjoyed being out. We did bubbles for a while, then Paul & Caleb had fun playing golf together. We had tacos for dinner and then Paul & Amy played with the boys some more- they did puzzles and read books. They are really good with the boys and the boys love it when they come to visit.
4/27/07- This morning, I headed to Chattanooga with the boys to get something I needed at a craft store and to pick up a couple other things. Daniel fell asleep just as we got to downtown Chattanooga, so I didn't want to get out right away- I wanted to let him sleep a little bit more. So, I remembered that Thomas the Tank Engine was in Chattanooga this week at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. We had already taken Caleb when Thomas was in Nashville, when he was 2 and 1/2, so we didn't plan on going this year, because it's kind of pricy. But, I was curious if we would still be able to just
see him without having to go down to the entrance, get tickets, and go through everything. I knew Caleb would be happy if he could just
see Thomas- without riding him. So, we pulled in a parking spot (free) and sat a while. I couldn't tell from the map if we were going to be able to see him or not. Well, Daniel woke up, and we walked out to a little hill to see the other trains they had at the museum down below. All the sudden, I heard Thomas' little whistle and I told Caleb that was his whistle! He was so excited!!!! Then, Thomas came out of the woods, riding along on the tracks, and Caleb just started jumping up and down. It was so neat!!! The rest of the day, he kept saying, "that was so neat that we got to see Thomas!!"
In the evening, when Aaron got home, we got ready to go to the carnival at the Cornbread Festival. We wanted to get there early so we could let Caleb go on some rides, and then go home. The evening worked out well and the boys seemed to have lots of fun. We'll be going back tomorrow to the Kiddie Korner, which is FREE!!
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