Our Life

As if a switch flipped inside of him in the last few weeks, Caleb has really started to relate to his stuffed animals. He calls them “friends”, and when we get him out of his crib in the morning and after naptime, he’ll say “Caleb bring friends downstairs too?” His friends will often join him for breakfast, where they’ll watch him eat, and they’ll get played with off and on throughout the day. Caleb’s favorites right now are Piglet and Penguin, but occasionally he’ll ask us to get Tiny Kitty, Duck, or Mokona and bring them downstairs too. He’ll say “More Friends!” several times in a row until we ask him which friends he wants us to get.

Here’s a shot of Caleb having breakfast with his friends watching. Piglet had not been summoned and was still upstairs.

We had a wonderful, relaxing Easter Sunday this year. We got all dressed up for a worship service at church, came home to find an Easter basket (behind a curtain by the front door… he spotted it immediately when we came down the stairs), lunch, then an awesome nap! We got Resurrection Eggs which tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection using little visuals hidden inside eggs. Obviously Caleb is a little young to get it, but he still plays with those eggs almost 3 months later. He has made me make up songs for each item. So, after building up lots of suspense, he opens up an egg and proudly thrusts his discovery in my face, then starts humming – an indication that there is a song that needs to be sung about whatever he is looking at. Because of this he has now learned “We Will Rock You” and parts of “The Old Rugged Cross.” It’s a mixed bag of songs :)

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Caleb helped Mommy puree some sweet potatoes to make his favorite sweet potato pancakes. I think only half of the potatoes actually made it in! Caleb is a good helper :)

For anyone curious, here’s the recipe. Yum.

Sweet Potato Pancakes (from nurturebaby.com)
• 2 cups of white whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 large sweet potato – baked, peeled and pureed
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1. In large bowl, combine first five (dry) ingredients together and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine sweet potato, milk, butter, eggs and sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients to mixing bowl; mix until just combined. (A few lumps are OK; over mixing will make the pancakes tough.)
3. Pour ¼ cup portions of batter onto greased skillet. Cook on medium heat and flip pancakes when bubbles form on the surface. Pancakes should be a golden brown color.

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Brandon had the privilege of rooming with Sparty (our best man) for 3 years in college. I met him the same evening I met Brandon in their room way back when. We were all the best of buds. My senior year, with both of them gone, I had to seek other friends. Sparty spoke of this Melissa who was still going to Taylor and recommended that I meet her. Being the socialite that I am (heh…) I got right on that. Turns out a few months down the road I randomly ran into this girl and overheard that her name was Melissa! “I’m supposed to meet you” I told her, and from then on we pretty much became friends. A few years later they married! (very sparse summary, sorry.) ANYWAY, we’ve seen them only a handful of times in the last 5 years (sad face) and late this past March marked their first visit to our house down here and their first encounter with ‘the offspring’! My sister and her hubby were also here for a few of the days. It was SO fun having a full house :)

Caleb loved all of his new playmates. He had them taking him on walks, sharing their electronics with him, playing under the parachute, reading books, and partaking in his meals. (side note: we all enjoyed the realization that adding a tiny person makes so many things more acceptable – for example, 6 grown adults under a parachute = a little odd. Add 1 tiny toddler, makes sense) :)

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Okay, I really need to step it up here! Caleb is getting cuter, smarter, and funnier by the second. Videos will be required to show all this adorableness overload :) I just have to figure out how to post them… in the meantime, these are just some fun photos from a 14-month.. ish Caleb.

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Playtime is always an adventure. Caleb is a master of making up his own games and pulling us completely into them. Some of his favorites are, of course, peek-a-boo, flinging around dry oatmeal in a very sophisticated archeological dig, splashing around in any water that can be found, snuggling Kitty, stacking blocks, reading, and dancing! Eating ranks high up there too :) Our meals can often last 45 minutes as Caleb makes up fun ways to try to pick up, or mix together, his food. He also initiates mealtime singing by humming several bars of a song until Mommy can figure out which one he’s thinking of, and enjoys hours upon hours of good ol’ fashioned lid and container playing. Getting to play with such a cheerful and creative little boy everyday is the best job in the universe! I can’t wait till I can understand all the important things he tries so hard to tell me while we play :)

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What a year, 2009. We started out the year with a itty bitty five-day-old Caleb, spent the final two weeks of our stay in NC, moved back to our home in AL, and watched our little boy blossom tremendously from one day to the next! We got to visit family up North — TWICE, have several family members actually make the huge drive to come see us, and have Auntie live with us for over 3 months. The Lord has truly blessed us.

We had the privilege of babysitting our little nephew for a little while so his Daddy could go get a hair cut. They live almost 2 hours away, so it’s always a treat to see them, and to let the boys play together. Since they’re 9 months apart, Caleb is just finally getting to the age when this is possible. These are some sweet photos of our little boy receiving the adoring affections of his cousin.

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A few days before we headed up North for Christmas, we had Brandon’s parents and brother, and our nephew over to have our Christmas celebration. It was a wonderful evening with a meal out, wassail, cookies, presents, and two sleepy little cousins just trying to get along :)

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For as long as I can remember I’ve held Caleb while I vacuum the floors. At first it was because he was pretty much attached to me, and it just made sense to hold him. Then, it was because he was afraid of the vacuum, and now it’s pretty much just what is expected. It’s getting to be a greater workout as my little one has gone from his tiny 8 lbs up to his current 25 lbs. Thank goodness for my Moby wrap :)