How Did This Happen?

How is he SIX already?

This kid definitely keeps me on my toes like nothing I've ever experienced...but I wouldn't trade him for the world.  I love him more than words could ever say.

From the very first moment:

Till forever:

To read more about my overwhelming love for this little man read here and here :)

Happy 5th Birthday!

I can't even tell you how much I love this kid!  

Happy Birthday Caleb :)

Sing Off - Caleb Style

Over the weekend Caleb had his Christmas performance at his daycare.  He had been practicing the songs all over the house for weeks so we were really interested to see how he would do up on stage.  For the most part he did a great job and I was impressed at how well he knew each song.  Here are some pictures from the day (please excuse the not-so-good pictures):

Classic Caleb face...getting ready to get his sing on :)

The performance included a ton of hands motions and Caleb had each one memorized.

Look at those hands go!

For most of the performance he was all smiles...but for 2 or 3 songs he was like this:

We have no idea why...he just wouldn't sing.  Afterwards he said he was tired and that's why he didn't sing.  I guess being a star is hard work!

Conversations With My Caleb

Caleb goes to my in-laws Mondays and Tuesdays.  This week before he left we had an interesting conversation:

 

Caleb:  Mommy, I need you to do four things for me while I'm gone.

Me:  What's that Caleb?

Caleb:  First, I need you to protect my trains (I had to laugh at that because it was not was I was expecting).

Second, I need you to play with my trains.

Third, I need you to take a picture of my trains.

Fourth,...(I don't remember the fourth thing...see, I've already failed the assignment!).

 

That kid cracks me up with his love of trains.

...And Four Years Later

This happens...he grew up even though I've been begging him not to...

For those of you who have read my blog for a while you know this is my absolute favorite picture of me and Caleb.  I can't even believe that he was that tiny.

I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday.  Picture it...I was at home on my second day of maternity leave (to get full use of my leave I took off a week before my scheduled C-section).  I was making dinner for Rondell and Jamison (who were at the doctor because I suspected Jamison had an ear infection...she did).  I had "gas" pains all day but didn't think much of it.  At one point I stood up and thought I had peed on myself.  When I went to the bathroom I quickly realized it was not pee...my water had broken.  Turns out that my "gas" pains were actually contractions. 

I tried to calmly call Rondell, but of course I broke down on the phone and he barely understood me.  I called my doctor's office and remember being overwhelmed that I had to push the button because I had ruptured membranes.  I immediately called my mom who did not answer her phone...sigh (she did after the second try!).  Then I called my friend Lyndsey to see if she could watch Jamison until my mom could come and get her.


 As soon as Rondell came home we were off to drop off Jamison (thank you Lyndsey) and then to the hospital.  Up until now we didn't know if Caleb was a boy or a girl so we were excited to finally be at the point where we were going to find out.  I got all hooked up to monitors and prepped for my "emergency" C-section.  

By this time my mom and Rondell's mom & step dad had Jamison at home and settled (after my mom went on a mission for Jamison's Rx).  We entered the operating room and in no time He was out...it was a boy!  I just kept saying to Rondell "it's a boy...you have a boy!"

I was in recovery for a while and we made a few phone calls to let people know that we had a new bundle of joy.  My mom and Rondell's mom came to the hospital in time to see Caleb get rinsed off and help me get settled into my room.

My boy was here!!!  I'll never forget it.

Here's my man at his party last year!  We are doing a repeat Thomas party this year because as he says "I still love Thomas."

 Mommy loves you little man!

Stubbornness At Its Best!

This is Caleb.

This is what Caleb decided to do instead of eating two bites of hot dog.

Even though, if he had eaten those two bites he would have been allowed to have chocolate ice cream (we were supposed to go out for ice cream after dinner).

But no, Caleb decided to be stubborn, refuse to eat the two bites of hot dog, saying he didn't want chocolate ice cream (which is only his favorite food).

No, Caleb decided he'd just get down on the floor and go to sleep.

Take that Mommy (I swear that's what he's saying in his sleep)!

Thomas & Cars Party!

We didn't go anything over the top for Caleb this year. We decided just to have a few of his friends over and make it simple.

Look at my birthday boy:

It took him a while to warm up to the fact that it is his birthday and really get excited. Once he came downstairs and saw the decorations he was thrilled.

I used the banner I made for Jamison's party...it will really come in handy for parties!

Rondell got Caleb this Thomas balloon...Caleb showed it to everyone who came over.

Here are Jamison and Caleb watching a Thomas movie while waiting for his friends to arrive.

Jocelyn was there.

And so was Mila. My in laws also brought their niece Mya (I'm sorry I forgot her picture). Unfortunately for Caleb I don't have many friends with boys his age.

The kids had Happy Meals...Caleb is not a fan of pizza but LOVES chicken nuggets and french fries.

Here's the cake. Caleb kept going back and forth about whether he wanted a Thomas party or a Cars party. I thought he finally decided on Thomas, but when I told him I ordered his Thomas cake he said "and Cars." So I found some Cars cake toppers and viola...a Thomas/Cars cake. He loved it!

I got a Thomas table covering and Cars plates and napkins.

All set to blow out the candles.

Caleb got a lot of fun stuff for his birthday, including a Thomas scooter, some blocks, a fun game, books and clothes, but this shirt was MY favorite. Maw Maw (Rondell's mom) bought it and it is so fitting for Mr. Caleb.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

How do our children go from this:

To this:

in record speed?

Today my Caleb is 3...THREE! I don't know why but that sounds so much older. I believe this is hitting me harder because he's our last...my last baby, sniff.

He's changed so much over this last year...he's talking SO much more (almost to the point of playing the "let's see who can be quiet the longest game"), he's really thinned out, he's become a little master on the computer, he is starting to potty train (the idea of no more diapers brings joy to my heart), he loves Thomas and Cars right now (I'll show you my plan for his cake later), and more.

I just love this little boy with all my heart and I pray he has a wonderful birthday and everyday.

Words to Remember

Yesterday I was getting ready to leave for BSF and I was saying bye to the kids. Jamison just gave me a short goodbye, but Caleb gave me words I just had to document...

Me: Bye Caleb.

Caleb: No Mommy, you not go anywhere. You stay here me. (exact quote)

I just love him. (I did end up leaving but gave him some extra snuggles when I got home.)

Thank you, and you, and me...

Caleb loves to say thank you. He thanks us a lot and sometimes we don't even know what we've done to deserve it. Well apparently he doesn't like to leave anyone out either. The other night we were on our way home after picking Rondell up from work. I don't even remember how it started, but he said "thank you Mommy, thank you Daddy, thank you Jamison, thank you Toshi" and then he said "thank you me...you're welcome." It was so funny. Maybe you had to be there.

Now That's What I Call a Life Verse...The Reveal

I did it, I did it...I finished Caleb's life verse. It was so easy to put together too! Here's what I did:

I went to Hobby Lobby, of course, and got the paper and frame for the verse. I went with a paisley (my new love) background and then found matching blue card stock for the actual verse. What took me the longest was what I was going to do with the card stock. Did I cut a border, did I just curve the corners, did I cut it in some cool shape...oh, the decisions (and the realization that I could really use a Cricut!).

I ended up just trimming the paper and then curving the edges with my cool little tool to the left.

Then I put the verse on the background. Isn't the paisley just lovely! Or handsome in Caleb's case.

Here's God's true and faithful servant Caleb posing with his life verse. Oh, I also added a cross sticker for some jazz.

Here it is on the wall. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it here because Caleb likes to slam his door and I don't want it to fall.

So, there it is. I like the way it turned out! I hope to be able to keep doing little projects like this, one at a time.

The Early Bird...Was Too Early

We are not that family that gets up bright and early on Saturday mornings to get the household things done. We lounge and then get up and get things done. Well this morning was different...we were all up and dressed and ready to go by 9:00!!!

Jamison and Rondell headed to Home Depot for its Kids Workshop. If you don't know about this you must check it out. Every first Saturday of the month HD hosts a FREE workshop for kids where they build something. They give each kid an apron and with each project the child gets a pin (it's cute too because on the pin it has a picture of what they made). This week Jamison made a hardware container, basically a box with 6 compartments for nails, screws, and things like that. She was so excited and now wants to go back so that she can get more pins.

Ron and his little lady.

Jamison, so proud of her creation. Now she wants to paint it, of course!

So, since Jamison and Ron were gone, Caleb and I went to run some errands. First, we went to McDonald's and Caleb had griddle cakes (did you know that you can get just the griddle cakes...my kids love them) and I had an Egg McMuffin and a sweet tea (of course). Then we were off to Sam's Club...BUT...they were only open for certain card members, we were too early. So, we left there and went to Bath and Body Works (their soap is 4 for $10)...BUT...too early, they were still closed. By this time Caleb was not happy about getting back in the car. I looked at him and said "Lowes...they'll be open" and they were!

I guess there is a thing about getting up too early.

Take a Tour Tuesday

My blog friend Shawn over at Seriously started a new carnival for us to share our spaces. Today we are to share our kids' rooms.

I posted about Jamison's room here and Caleb's room here. So, go, and then come back.

OK, good, you're back. Nothing has changed much in Jamison's room at all. She loves her art center and it really works out well because everything has a place. I still need to do tags for her containers...work in progress.

Caleb's room I've cleaned up a bit. I have not done the life verse yet, but plan on it soon. We're going to get him a toddler bed even sooner...if only I believed that he would stay in it.

So, that's where my kids live. How about yours?

Drawer Organization...Check!

We only have two drawers in our kitchen. Because of that all my utensils are stuck in one drawer and the other drawer is a junk drawer (doesn't everyone have a junk drawer?). The utensil drawer had gotten out of control and I needed something to maintain order.

When I was in Target the other day I saw these trays that were different sizes and I thought it would help. I don't have a before picture because I never think of it until I'm in the middle of the project...ugh! Just picture stuff everywhere and having things not very easy to find.

Here's the final result:

Now this may not seem super organized to you but to me it's lovely. I got the wooden organizer cleaned out (this was already in the drawer). Next to it is one of the containers that now has all of the kids' forks and spoons as well as my Pampered Chef bag clips. Next to that are things I use more often...brownie spatula, potato/apple peeler, can opener... Behind that I put all of my serving items and spreaders in a container, so that I could have easy access to them. Then, you can't see, but behind the wooden organizer is another container that has items I don't use as often, garlic press, zester, cork screw... This is much better!

Here's my next project...Caleb's room:

I've done some of the cleaning already, but here's his closet where his Little People sets will go. I bought some of those canvas containers for his toys and in one I put all of his Little People. It's so nice to have a place for them.

Here's a shot of some of his toys. Like I said the Little People sets will go in his closet, to be pulled out when he wants to play. I also need to figure something out to organize all of the books he has...maybe a big basket.

This is the wall where I'll put his life verse. It's right next to his door.

Thanks for stopping by!

Now That's What I Call A Life Verse...

But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. Numbers 14:24

I've been saved for a number of years and know a lot of the main principles of the Bible, but I've only recently started studying the Bible (through BSF...I know I talk about it a lot but it's that good!). This year we are studying the life of Moses. Old Testament stories are truly a mystery to me. I mean I know about Adam and Eve and Noah and the Ark, but for the most part the stories in the OT are all new for me. So, I had no clue that there was a great individual by the name of Caleb in the book of Numbers.

See, my Caleb was named after Rondell's dad. I think maybe at some point a person mentioned that it is a Biblical name but that didn't stick with me.

So, I'm studying Numbers and I get to the section that talks about Caleb and how he stood up for God's principles against the other leaders of the tribes. WOW! So, I read the verse mentioned above and thought how cool of a life verse for Caleb. Of course, for him it my change over time but for now my plan is to creatively print it off and hang it in his room. I'll show you the finished product when it's done.

Wordless Wednesday - This is the Life!

Wordless Wednesday - Siblings

I'm in Love...

...with him:

This is the day after Caleb is born. I've said this before, even with how I look, this is by far my favorite picture.

History

Caleb was our surprise baby, one of the best surprises EVER. Even though Rondell and I were planning on adding to our family soon, God decided that we needed Caleb right then and not a few months later.

My pregnancy was pretty unproductive. I was really sick with Jamison, but not with Caleb. Rondell and I tried to find out twice Caleb's gender and neither time did he want to show us; we should have known then that he was a stubborn kid that had his own agenda. I was scheduled to have a C-section on February 8, 2007 (I had a C-section with Jamison and I opted to just go ahead with another).

On Tuesday, January 30 I was relaxing at home on my second day of maternity leave. I had just spent the day with my mom the day before to get some last-minute things ready. Anyways, so I was relaxing at home trying to get some thank-you cards done and I just didn't feel well. I laid down but didn't think much of it, after all I had been 10 days late with Jamison and had to be induced. Well, after awhile I thought I had bad gas (TMI) because I had this pain in my stomach. I tried to make dinner for Rondell who was on his way home with Jamison after taking her to the doctor for an ear infection. I stood up to get something and thought I peed on myself. I went to the bathroom and realized my water had broken and there was meconium (Caleb had pooped, which explains a lot now because man that kid can poop!).

I told myself I was not going to call Rondell freaking out but that's exactly what I did! He rushed home and I called my friend Lyndsey to see if she could take Jamison for us until my mom was able to get to our house. I was so worried about Caleb because of course I had read all of the articles about meconium.

We got to the hospital and the people were so nice to me. They confirmed that my water had broken and it all got rollin from there. My doctor was not on-call so another doctor in her practice delivered Caleb. Everything went well and she pulled him out and announced that it was a...BOY!! It was such an exciting moment.

After a long stay in recovery (the anesthesia took a while to wear off) we got to our room and I immediately fed Caleb. The kid too almost an entire bottle, we had to stop him.

And now he's two! My experience with Caleb has been so different from that with Jamison because I didn't have Postpartum Depression with Caleb. Such a difference! I was truly able to enjoy him as a baby. **Sometimes it would make me sad that I didn't have that same experience with Jamison, but as much as I love on her now I think I've caught up!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of my man:

Here are some pictures from his day today:

Jamison and Caleb being silly in the laundry basket.

McDonald's for dinner!

Blowing out his two candles (with help from big sister)

I LOVE CAKE!

Mmmm...frosting!

Happy Birthday Caleb....Mommy loves you!