The Cabush Family

School Christmas Party

2011-12-15T23:02:00.002-05:00

His teachers did a great job teaching the kids that Christmas is about Jesus. Most of the crafts they did had to do with Jesus. They even sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus before they had lunch.

I believe this is the first year I didn't have to stay by his side for him to sit on Santa's lap. He's still not sure if he likes him but at least he let go of me. :)

Checking out his new book during the book exchange

Taken right before he ran after a friend who just left. He was too busy for pictures!

Caleb is 4!

2011-10-26T23:41:00.004-04:00

Today my sweet boy turns 4! Looking back the time really has gone fast but then at times has seemed slow. I want this post to be all about Caleb and how he has grown. He is so smart and amazes me at the memory he has. He is a big talker even though sometimes I'm the only one who can understand him. He talks well but has trouble with L's, S combinations so sometimes it's a little unclear. He was tested in his speech at preschool but he is right on track with where he should be for his age. Those few problem areas should be corrected on his own within the year.

He loves to talk about letters and numbers. Just out of the blue he will say "1 plus 1 equals 2" or some other combination that he knows. He has known his alphabet since he was 2. Now he is learning how to write the letters. He can write his name on his own without help and it is clear enough for a stranger to read! He seems to really like learning and I hope he will always like to.

He is also a very polite boy...usually! He will say "thank you" and "you're welcome", "please" when he is suppose to without being asked. He is quick to forgive us. Many times I have had to ask him to forgive me over something I did...usually yelling at him or just not being patient with him. He will say "Of course I forgive you". He will even say "I forgive you" when I just say Im sorry to him. He seems to have such a tender heart. He loves talking about God and is asking more questions about him. His main thing to say is "I love you more...no God loves you more". He used to ask if God was bigger than whatever he was talking about and we always answer yes.

There is so much more I could write about because I am so proud of my boy. He drives me crazy at times but I love him so much!

3 Months

2011-10-14T22:27:00.005-04:00

Grace is now 3 months! She is more awake now during the day and still sleeps all night. She has started cooing more and smiles all the time when we talk to her. She loves attention but is content when we can't show her it. She is wearing 3-6 months and 6 months in some brands. She has found her hands and wants to have her fist in her mouth most of the time. She has started reaching for objects and can hold a light toy when we put it in her hand. She continues to be an easy baby!!

I think she looks like a baby doll here. Big brother just adores her!

She looks like she is going to attack Caleb here. She will be doing that soon I'm sure!

Caleb's first time to take a picture. Grace likes to be held this way so if she is fussy I walk around with her like this and she is content.

2 Months

2011-09-12T22:03:00.003-04:00

Grace is now 2 months old! She weighs 12lbs 3 oz and is 23 3/4 inches long. She is still a great baby and sleeps all night. She is easy to take anywhere since she is content and sleeps wherever she needs to. I know this might not last too much longer when she gets more of a schedule and needs nap times. She usually has her awake time at night before 10:00pm then she goes to bed around that time till 8:00 or so the next morning. We are so blessed!!

First Smiles

2011-08-27T21:47:00.003-04:00

Grace has been smiling at us for a few weeks. She is doing it more and more now. We have discovered she has a cute dimple on the right side as you look at her. She is such a good baby and we are so blessed to have her!!

Caleb shaking her hand and trying to get in the picture

Caleb's new pirate outfit

1st Day of School/ 1st Soccer Practice

2011-08-18T21:17:00.011-04:00

Caleb had his first day in the 3's class at preschool today. This is the class that I taught for 2 years so it was strange for someone else to be the teacher and for me to be on the other side as a parent. It was a weird feeling for me to leave the school without him and go home. He will have one of the same teachers he had last year who we love so that makes me feel better. I know he is in good care!
This is his first year to try a sport. He is doing Upward Soccer at our church and Jim is his coach. These are pictures of his first practice. He will start playing games in September.

1 Month

2011-08-14T18:06:00.007-04:00

Grace is already a month old! She has been the perfect baby so far! She eats well and sleeps even better. She has been sleeping 8 or more hours at night. Even when she came home she only woke up one time during the night. She sleeps in her room now and is doing great. Caleb is doing great with her. He sometimes is a little too anxious to love on her..like when she is sleeping he wants to touch her. He will love it when she is ready to start playing. I think he will like playing on the floor with her! Overall this first month has been easier than I expected due to her sleeping so well. I guess God knew to give us a good sleeper or we would not handle things as well.. lol

Her first night in her crib. She did great!

She is usually content in her bouncy seat. She seems to prefer it over the swing.

I had to include Caleb too.....Jim is giving him his first home haircut. He finally agreed to sit for us to buzz his hair. I say buzz his hair because if we had brought out the scissors to cut it he would have ran off. For some reason he doesn't want us using scissors. Jim did a great job for the first cut...so he got it a little too short in one area but oh well!! :)

Grace Elizabeth

2011-08-11T13:02:00.007-04:00

A month later and I'm just now posting about the new addition to our family. Grace Elizabeth arrived on July 12, 2011 at 10:20 am. She arrived 2 weeks early by a planned c-section. She weighed 9lbs 11 oz and 21 inches. This is why she was 2 weeks early and by c-section!! She has been an amazing baby so far. Since we have been home she has slept very well! She even sleeps 8 or more hours at night! I am hoping she will always do this!
The c-section went well but not as great as with Caleb. The part I dreaded the most was the iv and that part went great with no pain. The epidural was not as great and it took a while for them to get it right and so it was more painful this time around. It was a little scary!! Overall it just felt more painful to recover this time. I am doing fine now except had to get on blood pressure meds but hoping that won't be for life!
Caleb seems to be adjusting well and loves his baby sister. He doesn't like it when she cries so he wants me to check on her whenever she makes the slightest noise.
I am loving have the 2 at home and love that I have a boy and girl!!

Jim just had to take one last picture of the pointy belly!! lol

Before going to surgery.....I'm not scared ...ha

First time holding Grace....he wouldn't touch her at the hospital.

Swim Lessons

2011-06-07T20:31:00.005-04:00

Caleb took his first swim lesson last week. My friend Jenny recommended the teacher and her son also was in Caleb's class. It was 5 days in a row for 30 minute sessions. It was very convenient for us since it was in Ft. Oglethorpe. Caleb did great except for wanting to put his face in the water. He was determined not to do that. The teacher just told me he will do it when he's ready that she doesn't force them to do it. She did dunk his head a few times to try to get him use to it. He never cried about it but if you asked him to do it he said "I'm not going to do that". The teacher said he will be a leader one day! Ha

Pigeon Forge Family Vacation

2011-06-02T22:53:00.005-04:00

The 3 of us took a family trip to Pigeon Forge, TN over Memorial Day weekend. It was a nice time to get away and have fun. Caleb got pretty much whatever he wanted...he rode lots of rides and got several new toys. Just about all there is to do there...shop, eat, and the rides. We did get to swim at the condo since it was 95 degrees each day. If I were not 7 months pregnant (feel 9 mo. preg. ) we could have done more like hike in the mountains at least. We all had a good time anyway!
The very first thing Caleb bought was a Dumbo. He loves the movie and we took him to the Disney store and when I showed him the Dumbo...he gasped and held onto him for 2 days. He took him on the rides with him even!! He eventually let go of him after he got a few other new things but even now at home he still takes him places and sleeps with him. He told me Dumbo is his best friend and that Dumbo loves him. So cute!

Of course one of his favorite rides was the train

We rode this after his nap one day and he had a hard time waking up...that is the reason for the sad look on his face.

Even Dumbo got a swing

A baby Ferris Wheel

We found another park that had more rides that were better for his age. These swings went faster so he liked it.

He loved this ride. I think it was his favorite. It went in a circle but around the corners the cars went faster. Even the adults I watched ride liked this one!

Going down the big slide...Jim looks a little scared! haha It does go really fast.

Sleeping on his inflatable bed in our bedroom. He did good and stayed on it all night.

We had promised him one ride after lunch so we kept our word. We normally would tell him no rides till after supper so we could wait till the sun was going down. It was just too hot during the day. So I took these from the air conditioned car!

We ate at a nice steakhouse one night. It was good but way too expensive for our taste.

Train Show

2011-05-17T22:13:00.005-04:00

We took Caleb to a model train show in Dalton, GA last weekend. A playgroup that I'm a member of was going and was able to get in for free. It was well worth the 30 min drive!! Caleb sat for over 2 hours watching these trains.

This black engine was his favorite

A worker added Thomas and Percy after seeing Caleb's Thomas backpack. They knew he was a fan so they added this to the track.

Watching his favorite

Steam Train

His new T-shirt we bought him. He was so proud of it he wanted to wear it right then. He also slept in it and wore it part of the next day! I know he would wear it everyday if I let him. It says "I'm One Cute Caboose!"

We also bought him a nice hand made wooden train. It has an engine, coal car, and 5 cars with the letters of his name, and then a caboose. I should have taken a picture of it to put on here...oh well didn't think of it till now.

Spring Break in Florida 2011

2011-04-10T21:50:00.009-04:00

Here we are again on our yearly trip to Fort Myers, Fl in March. It was a great time this year and the weather was perfect!!! We went to a really nice beach in Naples that is called Barefoot Beach. You pay to go to it but it is worth it since it was so nice there. Caleb enjoyed the sand a lot more this year and would actually walk on it. Last 2 years he would only walk if he had shoes on. I just love the beach! The other days we spent it at the pool or doing stuff around town.

We went to Sanibel Island to ride a boat to see the dolphins. This was really neat and Caleb got an upfront view of the dolphins following the boat.

This is the train ride at the park we go to every year. We waited till the last day of vacation to ride this. I believe if we had done this early in the week he would've asked to come here every day. I was not allowed to ride the train due to me being pregnant so that meant I got better pictures.

We also rented a bike that all of us could pedal except Caleb rode in the front basket.

The park also has a train museum that Caleb just discovered this year. He would stay in there all day if we let him.

A Great Reminder for Mom's

2011-03-27T13:28:00.004-04:00

I have a friend who posted this on her blog and I wanted to share it as well. Although my house doesn't show it most of the time I do prefer a tidy and clean house. I stress over it at times and think I'm not doing a good job. I just thought this poem was a good reminder of what is important in our job as a Mom. So, if anyone still reads this blog I hope it encourages you!

Excuse This House

Some houses try to hide the fact That children shelter there,

Ours boasts it quite openly,

The signs are everywhere.

For smears are on the windows,

Little smudges on the doors

I should apologize, I guess

For toys strewn on the floor.

But I sat down with my child

And we played and laughed and read

And if the doorbell doesn't shine,

Her eyes will shine instead.

For when at times I'm forced to choose

The one job or the other,

I'd like to cook and clean and scrub,

But first I'll be a mother.

Author Unknown

January Snow and Our Big Boy!

2011-01-11T21:49:00.006-05:00

Here Caleb is trying to get up after falling off "sled". It's kinda hard to do with a snow suit on. Mommy isn't helping instead she is taking the picture! HAHA

Sledding down the hill in our backyard. The "sled" would not go on it's own so Jim had to pull. :)

Our much improved snowman from the last snowfall. Caleb named him "Frosty"

The next phase of pictures shows Caleb in his crib for the last night. We moved him to his toddler bed finally! He loves it.

Last night in his baby bed.

Don't know why these are blurry. He hasn't learned to sleep in one position still. He has gotten better though and I don't think he gets turned around this bad now.

Our friends the Swanson's gave us this bed. I think it's cute and he was excited about sleeping in it the first night. He loves coming in to wake Mommy and Daddy up in the mornings. I'm learning not to be frightend awake when he comes in and stands beside me! :)

He has learned to play his Starfall computer games all by himself. I think the Clickstart game we got him for Christmas has helped him control the mouse. I just sit back and watch in amazment of what all he knows how to do. I almost think he is reading the words sometimes in how he knows what to click on.

Here is the ClickStart that has become not as popular as on Christmas. I mean now he can do the real computer so why do this one, right? The new has worn off already!

School Christmas Party

2010-12-16T21:57:00.007-05:00

Caleb's class at school getting ready to eat for the Christmas party

I think this is probably one of his usual positions during lunch at school!
I mean he's got to be moving in some way!! ;)

I just love his face! He is not friends with Santa. lol :)

Playing with his favorite toy in class...a lego train.

Hi....playing with Sydney

The class played Christmas Bingo. Jim said Caleb did really well at playing the game!

Gift exchange in his class was a $5.00 book.

Yay! He likes it. He has many of the books in this series. It's called "If you Take a Mouse to the Movies".

Getting his stocking full of goodies

Eating the huge sucker from his stocking once we got home. I think it's funny he's also holding an Easter egg. The things he finds to still play with! :)

Halloween Weekend

2010-10-30T21:57:00.009-04:00

Caleb would not let me get a good picture of the 2 of them

Sydney

Pointing to a balloon flying away

At our church -Harvest Happenings

My favorite!

He loved the inflatable slide!! That is Sydney in front of him.

Waiting in line for a game or another inflatable.

He climbed up this one great but then got scared to slide down by himself. This one was higher than the other slide. The worker at the top had to slide down with him. He didn't ask to go on this one again!

Playing a basball game where the ball was tossed up by air. He ended up hitting a few balls.

He has a sucker in his mouth.

He always picked out the suckers from the boxes of candy. That is the only kind of candy he will eat. I grabbed a few pieces of chocolate for myself since now that he can get his own candy there isn't any chocolate in his bucket for me.

On Friday we took our annual trip up Signal Mtn to the Pumpkin Patch playground. We seem to only ever go in the fall even though the playground is there all year. I guess it's due to the name of it and I like to drive up the mountain to see the fall colors.

I have taken Caleb's picture at this pumpkin for the past 3 years. I wish I could post the pictures from the past but they were lost off my computer when it crashed. I have the printed copy at least. It's so neat to see how much bigger he is this year and he could actually pose for me this time.

He's graduated from the baby swing section.

He still wanted us to go down the big long slide with him. He never would try it by himself.

This one he loved....it's a shorter version.

Climbing up to the slide in the tunnel.

It was a fun day!

Freeman Springs Farm

2010-10-01T16:41:00.008-04:00

Happy October! My favorite month for many reasons! I love the weather, the colors, pumpkins, football, and birthdays.
Today we joined a new playgroup for a trip to Freeman Springs Farm in Rocky Face, Ga. It was only about 27 miles away and it was so nice. Here are some pictures from our beautiful day.

Caleb picked this big pumpkin out from the Pumpkin patch. I think he had spotted this one when we first arrived. He went straight to it once we told him he could go get one.

The playground they took us to during our hayride

He loved this house and did not want to leave it!

So cute! (He is in the window)

Hayride!

The hay ride stopped for a while so the cows could come around and eat the hay we were sitting on.

First Day of School!

2010-08-21T22:34:00.007-04:00

Caleb and I started back to school this past Thursday. I am still teaching the 3 yr olds and Caleb is in the 2 yr old class. He was excited to go back and so was I. After orientation on Tuesday when I met my students I anticipated Thursday to be stressfull. I was so happy it did not turn out that way! Our main challenge right now is a boy who doesn't know any English. So, he gets frustrated and cries when we try to make him follow our rules. He has no idea what we are saying. We will see how he does and if he can catch on to what we are doing.

Caleb did great his first day. He got a little tired and cranky before the day was over but he was fine. His class is more structured than it was last year. He is used to that a little from church but I think this will be at a new level for him.

So here are some pictures we took before we left for school that morning. Then I got a few of him sitting at the table in his class.

He is so proud of his backpack! He actually loves the Dr. Suess books now...mainly Green Eggs and Ham. (It has a train)

Sitting at the table for snack time

Oops he saw me. I was trying to peek around his door.

Wisconsin - July 2010

2010-07-22T22:42:00.010-04:00

In July we took our annual summer trip to Wisconsin. It was beautiful weather and a lot cooler while we were there! Not real hot but yet hot enough to swim in the lake. Caleb had a blast and loved swimming, playing on the golf course, riding in the golf cart, and just being with his Grandma and Grandpa! He really misses them!!
So, here is a glimpse of what we did.

Caleb and Grandpa washing the golf balls

Caleb is getting more golf balls

He found a dirty one

We went to the Milwaukee Zoo. Caleb enjoyed watching this Cheeta

At the Zoo

Baby Gorilla

Feeding some goats

Of course we had to ride the train that was at the Zoo. He loves trains!!

Carousel at the Zoo

Caleb enjoyed putting the golf balls in and out of the holes on the greens. He would get a ball from the golf cart and fill the hole one ball at a time.

Then he would run back to the golf cart to take each ball back..one ball at a time!

You can see there were many balls in the golf cart he had to put in the hole. :)

Playing with Grandpa

He really loved the toys this year that they keep at their house.

I wasn't sure how he would do in the lake but he loved it.

I am so glad he loves the water and isn't afraid to try new things!

During Caleb's nap time I fully enjoyed laying out on this raft or on the dock by myself! It was so relaxing.....and made me feel like I was really on a vacation.

4th of July

Our annual tradition for the 4th...matching Old Navy tshirts. I think Jim and I still have all our shirts since we have been married.

Caleb throwing (nuts) rocks in the water. He liked to call them nuts for some reason.

Boat ride

It's a great big sky!!

Playing with Grandma. She might like for you to know that Caleb made her wear that hat! haha ;)

Caleb with his cousins. Ben, Leighann, and Michael

It's Summer!!

2010-06-22T23:01:00.005-04:00

It is HOT already this summer! The only time I want to go outside is if we are going to be in water. Caleb doesn't even ask to go outside to play on his new swingset. I guess he knows my response will be "it's too hot".

So when we do get outside during the day this is what we do. Caleb loves to play with the hose...mainly to spray his mommy! :)

Caleb helps me water the flowers.

Taken on Father's Day. So neat that they had the same colors on that day...that was not planned.

My parents came to our church on Sunday then we all went to eat lunch at Logans.

This is Caleb playing his Leap Frog video game with his foot. I guess he was being a little lazy that day.

Since we don't get out of the house to play much lately this is what happens to my house. We only bring in the ball pool once in a while because of this reason. He kicked around in the pool till every last ball was out on the floor.

It's fun though and the house always gets cleaned up at bedtime. :)

Caleb's Preschool Class 2009

2010-06-15T15:51:00.006-04:00

Since I don't really have anything recent to blog about I thought I would post some pictures that were taken of Caleb at school.
One of his teachers took these pictures and sent them to me on Facebook.
I've enjoyed seeing what he did when I wasn't around.
These were taken from Sept-December 2009. The teacher that took these left the school after that.

The new books he got as a gift from another child in the class

Picking out a gift at his class party

I think this is so funny....Jackson has Caleb's cup making him drink. Caleb has the look at his teacher taking this photo...."will you do something about this"?

Possibly the ONLY time Caleb has eaten a sugar cookie!

Class Christmas Party

Notice Caleb eating his food from home since the party food was pizza...which he still does not eat.

Snack time

Love, Love, Love this picture! This was his favorite thing to do in the Gym.

This is also a funny picture. Caleb looks a little worried and not sure what to do..he is NOT going to eat that cake! He still does not touch cake!

Getting ready to do something-either snack or a craft. Looks like the one by Caleb is a little bored. haha

This is how they got around outside the classroom.

I love how the 2 in the front are picking at each other..haha

Doing what he loved in the Gym.

Carta Bus day! I think they rode his class around the block.

Caleb seemed to really love his class and his teachers. I hope this next year will be another great year for him! He will be next door to my class so I can sneak a peek at him more often. :)

What We've Been Doing

2010-05-27T23:22:00.007-04:00

It's been a while since I posted. These are some pictures showing what all we've been doing in the month of May.

Mother's Day- Enjoyed a great lunch at Red Lobster!

My Mom

Caleb finally has a new swing set at home. My Dad and Jim built this which took them 2 full days to do. We are so grateful to have it!

Our neighbor Sydney checking out the glider swing with Caleb

Caleb had his very first trip to Lake Winnie! Jim's parents were in town last weekend so we decided on Lake Winnie for something to do while they were here. Caleb loved the swings and really loved the Train of course. We will be going back there this year! I remember very well going to Lake Winnie as a kid. Crazy that a lot of the same rides are still going today. I know they were old when I was small. You would think one day they are going to fall apart!!

I remember riding the Ladybugs as a child. They still look the same! It's fun for me to see my child enjoying the same things I did.

And of course the Train ride!! I believe Caleb was the most thrilled about riding this.

Waving goodbye to us.

Going down the huge slide with "Papa".

On Sunday we all went to ride the Incline up Lookout Mtn. Jim and his parents had never been. I can't even remember the last time I was on it. I have to say it is a little scary once it reaches the top. It's just a feeling of no control and the thought of it breaking and we go flying down. :)

Of course Caleb just thought of it as a Train so he loved it!

On the way up! Looks like there are no windows in this picture.

I had to take a picture of what Caleb likes to do with his toys. It can be his bike, trains, or shopping carts...he just wants to "crash" them. He stacks things up on top of each other like this. He was very proud when I asked him to stand by this so I could get a picture. :)

So that is what has been happening in our life this month. School is now over for the summer and we are going to relax and enjoy it...hopefully by a pool somewhere! :)

Day Out With Thomas

2010-04-26T22:19:00.007-04:00

This was our 2nd year to spend a day with Thomas the train. Caleb seemed to enjoy it even though we did not ride the train. When Thomas is attached the train ride is too expensive and it doesn't even last very long. So we just go to enjoy the free activities and take our picture with Thomas

We met our neighbor friends there- Misty and Sydney

Caleb loved this slide -it was a big inflatable Thomas

Jim showing him how to putt. Caleb would hit it one time then pick up the ball and put it in the hole. Then after a few holes he wanted to get a different color ball.

My Dad's turn to show him how to putt the golf ball.

His Tattoo

My goal- Running my First 5k Race!

2010-04-17T23:13:00.003-04:00

Today I ran my very first race at the Chickamauga Chase. It was a nice cool morning perfect for running. During the week I had tried to see how far I could run but couldn't even make it a mile. I was worried how I would do this race and not walk most of it. I surprised myself and ran almost the entire 3.1 miles! The only times I walked were up a few hills but after the hills I would run again. Now my running is a slow jog...but hey it's not walking! My time was 43.28 minutes. I came in 30th out of 39 in my age group. Not great but at least I wasn't last!
Caleb and Jim came out to support me...mainly to take pictures to prove that I did this! :)

Caleb waiting on me to come running by at the start

Getting ready to start- I am at the back of this crowd of 1500 people!

Finally coming by them- Caleb got upset when I couldn't stop to see him. I did not know this till after the race. Jim said he cried like I had abandoned him. He had my attention the rest of the day!!

Almost done- I am on the far left. This was right before Caleb ran up to me which you see in the picture below.

Yay! Crossing the finish line. The girl to the right of me in the blue is a friend from church. We stayed together for most of the race.

It was a nice feeling to know that I accomplished something that I never thought I would do. I never liked running and still don't but this was fun!

Easter Activities 2010

2010-04-05T15:57:00.012-04:00

I decided to try dying Easter eggs with Caleb this year. He loved it! He just wanted to play with them after they were dry and ended up breaking a few. I think Jim and I enjoyed it as much or even more than Caleb did. I haven't done that since I was a child. I think I added too much water which made the eggs take longer to color. Oh well. I didn't really know what I was doing but I did know to add the vinegar!

Helping him put on some stickers

Look at my egg!!

We took Caleb to the Easter egg hunt at Woodland Park Baptist again this year. It was a little cool and very windy for most of it. Caleb found a prize egg which that makes 2 years in a row he got a prize! He got a Jesus book with a music CD which was very appropriate since it was Easter.

Caleb's friend Sydney came with us this year. He is wanting her sucker!

This is Caleb attempting to get his face painted. The Child Evangelism trailer was there to face paint. He only got one green line across his forehead and he was done. haha His friend Sydney got her entire face painted and was happy but Caleb was not thrilled about it.

This was the 5th year our church has had Easter service at the Chickamauga Battlefield. It was a beautiful warm day this year to have it outside! Caleb sat really good with me for maybe 40 minutes while he ate a ton of snacks. By the time the service got started good he was ready to get up and run away from me. So before the preaching started we moved to another area where he could run and play and we wouldn't bother anyone. It's hard to make a 2 yr old sit for the entire thing especially a child who doesn't like to be still.

Part of the crowd

The stage- I didn't even know who some people were up there since we were so far away. I only knew by their voices. haha

For lunch we went to my Aunt Betty's house. My cousins Garry and Beth along with their kids were in town from FL so it was nice to spend time with them this Easter.

Hunter and Caleb hunting eggs.

Hunter, Brittany, Kellan- they make me feel old since I used to babysit them. :)

I think this was the best weather we have had for Easter in several years. It was warm and the trees were in bloom. That is how Easter should be! New life all around just like we are given new life through Jesus.

Tiki Cuts

2010-03-01T15:41:00.003-05:00

Today Caleb got a much needed haircut and so we thought we would try a kid friendly place to get his hair cut. I had heard many great stories that kids who didn't like to get a haircut would do pretty good at this place. I mean he was able to sit in a truck chair, watch videos, and look at the cool scenery. You would think that would be enough to keep his attention for like 5 min!!
Caleb was ok with it at first while she was just wetting his hair...then he realized what was going to happen. This was maybe the first time he could care less about watching Thomas or any video. He could care less that he could sit and eat "cookies" in a cool car chair. He just wanted down!

He did end up with a nice hair cut and I didn't have to sit and hold him. I had to hold him enough for him to stay seated in the chair and hold his hands so he wouldn't grab the comb away. So, I guess it was a little better experience there than at Great Clips. At least he got to sit in his own chair and not on my lap. I was happy to not have been completely covered in hair this time!

For encouragement the lady told me she has seen a lot worse! Yea, Thanks! HAHA

I was able to get a few pictures before he realized what was going on! :)

Spring Fever!

2010-02-20T15:44:00.004-05:00

Caleb will sit like this forever and watch his trains. Recently he has started holding his hands like this while he watches the trains

Caleb likes to sit on his new potty but he thinks he only should do this after his bath or before bedtime. He never goes to sit on it any other time. We aren't pushing him to potty train right now we are just getting him used to sitting on it and trying to learn what it is for. He doesn't get it yet that he is supposed to sit on it without pants on. :)

He says he has to "go poop" but he hasn't done anything in it so far. I am thinking about waiting till summer to really try to train him. That way he will be older and we will be home more during the week to work on it.

We have had really nice warmer weather this weekend so we took the bike outside. He loved going up and down the street with his bike. He can't reach the pedals yet but probably by summer he will. Can't wait for spring now that we are enjoying outside for a few days!!

Here is a video of Caleb riding the bike outside.

Snow-1-29-10

2010-01-31T22:09:00.004-05:00

Here is our big snow storm in GA! We ended up with 5 inches or more! The news said it has been 10 years since we've had this much. It's about time we had a good snow!
Caleb will still not play in the snow. He likes to look at it and say "yay snow" or every morning when we leave he says"no snow, no ice". He is missing out since it doesn't come very often.

Looking out our front door

Caleb on the porch crying but yet he didn't want to go back inside either. Couldn't figure out what he wanted till we got out his car.

He is happy now!

On another note......I took a coupon workshop on Tuesdays the past 3 weeks. I learned a lot and there is lots of money to be saved!! This girl Kelly that did the class has a family of 5 and only spends around $40 a week in groceries. She has been doing it a long time and has a huge stockpile of food saved up so that is how she can do it. I don't think I can get to the level she has with it but I have been saving since the classes started. I have my coupons all organized now and I'm now one of those weird people at the store with a binder of coupons. :)

I used to spend a little over $100 a week at Walmart. I have now switched to shopping at BILO and only buy the things that are on sale (with exception of a few necessities) and try to have a coupon for those things on sale. BILO doubles coupons less than .60 every day!!

Walmart is cheaper when things aren't on sale but if it's on sale it's a better deal at the grocery stores.

I have not spent over $90 the last 3 weeks on groceries! Today I saved $32.04. Total was $116.45 but paid $84.41. That was with things on sale and only $6.65 was coupons.

My cart was full with stuff falling out!! I couldn't believe it wasn't over $100!

Snow/Christmas party

2009-12-10T16:18:00.005-05:00

An unusual event happened last Saturday morning. It snowed!! Of course this was the Saturday that we were taking Caleb to get Christmas pictures made that morning so he didn't have much time to play in it. So, right before we left we went on the deck to see how he liked the snow. I had to place him on the snow in order to get some pictures. He wasn't sure he wanted to be on the snow. He walked back over to the place on the deck where there wasn't snow to stand on. I think if we had more time out in it he would have liked it. He better like it we are going to spend a week in Wisconsin where they should have lots of snow!

Walking back to the clear spot

Checking out the snow thinking "I don't want to be out here where it's wet and I can get dirty!" haha

His 2 main comfort items he rarely lets go of...his paci and "choo choo book".

Mom's Night Out Christmas party with the playgroup friends. We ate at the Acropolis restaurant and had an ornament exchange. It's always a fun time with these ladies!

Today was the last day of school for this year! So all the classes had Christmas parties and book exchange. I was able to escape my classroom for a few minutes to be with Caleb. Here is Caleb eating his hot dog since he will not eat the pizza provided. :) He did eat the Goldfish and sugar cookies that were brought.

Looks like he's trying to take a juice box

He ate the sugar cookies!! First time ever!! The teachers helped them decorate the cookies with icing and sprinkles but he did not want to eat that one. He just pointed to it and talked about it's "2 eyes". :)

I am just shocked he ate the cookies! He must not have had enough lunch so he was forced to eat them. haha

The kids got to pick out the gift they wanted. So Caleb picks out the gift bag instead of the wrapped presents. I told him to open it but instead he took it to his teacher thinking he was supposed to give it to her. He was probably remembering when I tried to get him to take his teacher her gift on Tuesday but he wouldn't do it.

Reading the 2 books he opened. He got a Tiger and Winnie the Pooh book. The Thomas book in the picture is the one from class that he didn't want to put down as usual. I finally got him to look at his new books. :)

What we've been up to

2009-12-03T21:42:00.006-05:00

I need to post some pictures from Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving was just ok this year since Jim was sick and didn't get to join us at my parents for the meal. So, Caleb and I went to eat and brought Jim home some leftovers. The food was great!!
Here are the only pics I took that day of Caleb and my Dad rolling the plastic pumpkin..

The 3 year old class that I teach at preschool dressed up as Indians for the Thanksgiving program at the school. Here is my class in the costumes the kids help make with us.

Caleb got out and played in the leaves a few weeks ago. He would jump in as long as Jim would jump in first.

Tonight we walked a few blocks from our house to the Rossville Christmas Parade. Our neighbor Sydney and Misty joined us at the parade. Caleb did not enjoy the loud sirens or marching bands but other than that he seemed to like it. He even ate a sucker that was thrown to him from one of the floats. He will not eat any candy so this was a big deal that he ate a sucker. Maybe he was interested in it when he saw us pick it up off the ground or that it was thrown to him. Who knows! He might not eat another one till next year!

He is watching down the road to see what is coming

Proof that he ate the sucker! :)

Field Trip and Halloween

2009-10-31T22:08:00.006-04:00

The preschool took a field trip to the Enchanted Maze. It was a fun time and Caleb loved leading Jim and I through the maze. He also loved the cow train and hayride.

Don't we all look so happy?? HAHA We really were having a good time!!

Halloween Day we went to my parents church Woodland Park for thier "Fall Festival". Everything was moved indoors due to the rain. That night we went to our church "Harvest Happenings" which was also indoors. It was so crowded and spread through out 3 buildings. We had a fun filled day and Caleb seemed to love being Thomas.

Trick-or-Treating at Sydney's house

Playing games at our church- he loved this baseball game. Luckily we got there before it was a long line to play.....he had a hard time waiting his turn!

So glad my parents came to help me with Caleb since Jim was busy face painting. I also had my friend Misty with me and she was busy chasing her daughter Sydney around. I could not have kept up with my child and staying close to Misty too.

It was a good Halloween but let's hope next year it can be outside!!

October 26, 2009

2009-10-29T21:22:00.004-04:00

So here is what we did on Caleb's actual birthday this past Monday.

Monday morning I called my parents up to go with us to the Pumpkin Patch playground on Signal Mtn. I seem to only think to go here during the fall...I guess due to the name of it. I love this playground...especially the really long slide. So, I was going to go down the slide with Caleb but he sat down, turned over on his belly, and was off before I knew it! He had a look of fear as he was going down and since it makes you go so fast he fell of the end into a pile of leaves. He didn't like that at all so he would never go back down the slide again. I went down a few more times and as I would ask him to go with me Caleb would just wave at me and say "bye". :)

Of course why go to a huge playground when all the boy wants to do is swing.

Eating our lunch

This was almost exactly 1 year ago...in the same spot as the picture below.

He does not like his hands dirty so that is the reason for the expression...he's thinking I'm not playing in this dirty sand!

Monday night we took Caleb to the mall to ride the train and eat at Chick-fil-A.

Playing on the playground in the mall. At least the huge slide experience earlier in the day didn't scare him away from this tiny slide. :)

It was a Happy Birthday for Caleb!!

2nd Birthday Party

2009-10-24T22:14:00.007-04:00

Today we had Caleb's 2nd Birthday party at our church on Germantown Rd. It was originally planned at the Rossville park but we moved it due to cooler weather/rain. It turned out to be great at the church. It was a small party with only 3 kids but it was nice. Not everyone could make it that we invited...including Jim's parents. It was strange having a party with them not here. They will be here in a few weeks so we will just celebrate again with them.

His actual birthday will be Monday so we are planning a few activities to do on that day and we will give him the rest of our presents.

Here are the pictures from the party today

Caleb and Sydney

Caleb eating with his friends- Sydney and Cody

Trying to blow out the candle

Caleb still will not eat cake!

His friends were more interested in opening presents than Caleb was

They all want this one!! Shopping cart!

Caleb loves his new automatic train...this never stops running as long as Caleb is awake. Ha!

"Yellow Ball"

2009-10-01T22:22:00.005-04:00

Lately Caleb has found a new thing to do with his yellow balls as you can see below. He has many colors of balls but he can say "yellow" and so he picks those out. During the time he is doing this he is saying "yellow ball". He gets really mad if one of the balls falls off so I usually help him put one back to make things better. Of course these do not stay in the window 24/7...when he is done he throws them everywhere. :)

Being very careful not to make them fall!

And here is another finding in our window. All the animals/people from his toys. Notice how they MUST be facing so they can see outside. When we are outside I will tell Caleb that the animals are watching him play and he thinks it is funny.

He is always playing with this ball popper lately.

Notice all the orange/white in this picture...Caleb knows the color Orange. I am training him the right way- TN fan he will be!! :)

Just being silly!

Caleb's Learning

2009-08-26T21:07:00.005-04:00

I am going to brag about my boy for a while.....It seems like everyday Caleb has learned something new. I am just amazed at how much he can learn now. For a while now he has been learning the alphabet by looking at the letters on starfall.com. He will point to the letter he wants to look at it and I will go through the letter and do the game at the end. He will then show me the next one he wants. He can say the letters- A, B, C, D, E, I, O, T, U. He will say the sound of these letters instead of saying what the letter is- F, H, M, P, S, V. When he says a new letter I'm thrilled and make it known that he did something great! :)
He can also count to 3.

Another thing he can do is stack a tower of cups or blocks. He has done this since he was a year old but now he can actually reach the top to put the last cup on the top.

Here are a few pictures to show him building his tower....

For some reason he likes to put the cups on his feet and try to walk. I think his Daddy showed him this one time and he never forgot about it. :)

As his feet get bigger he will have to use a larger cup. HA

This is my old sticker book from when I was around 6 yrs old. Caleb has been putting some of these old stickers (from 1982-notice Wonder Woman & Heathcliff) onto the pages. He also just likes to look through it like a book.

He climbed up onto the chair himself to look at the book on the table

I put these 2 pics on here mainly for family to see what Caleb did his first week at preschool.

I probably won't be putting his craft on here every week though. :)

First Day of Preschool

2009-08-18T21:47:00.005-04:00

Today was my first full day of being a Preschool teacher. I along with one other teacher am teaching 3 year olds. Before I even quit working full time I had this plan of working in a preschool or mothers day out type program in order to make a little extra money. I just had to wait till Caleb was old enough to attend with me. It worked out that it's 2 days a week and the days that I wanted so that I can still attend a Bible study that I like. :)

So, today went well in my class. Most of the kids are well behaved and will learn quickly the routine of the day. A few...well...let's just hope they are better next week!!

Caleb is in the 1 year old class. He seemed to enjoy it so much that he did not want to nap during nap time. I figured this would happen and really I'm just not sure if he will ever nap there. I hope he proves me wrong!! I think this is a good thing for him with structure and learning. He will go to a music class once a week and I really think he will love that. We'll just see how the next few weeks go as he adapts to the routine. He was pretty cranky after he rested a while this afternoon.

Here are a few pictures from our first day.....

Before leaving for school

this is what he did when I told him to look at me ( sorry a little blurry) I just had to include it b/c it's so cute. :)

This is in my class room before I took him to his class (he has a little plastic bear- used for counting)

I had the director take this picture for me during lunch.
2 cute little boys side by side!

I think they look cute sitting at the table.
I do think he ate more lunch here than he does at home! :)

Wisconsin vacation.....cont.

2009-08-05T20:25:00.006-04:00

This is what happend after I blogged the first time about our trip to Wisconsin..... These pictures are from the County Fair in the town where Jim's parents live. Farm land! :) I have never seen such big tractors (or whatever they are called). It's a huge fair compared to the one in Chattanooga. There are tons of animals and 4-H contest for just about anything a person could think of to make.

This thing is so big that you need to click on the picture to see my family on it. HA!

Even the kids have their own tractors to ride!

Caleb's first roller coaster ride...he couldn't even see over the bar. He was actually too little to ride but the nice man running let him on with me.

A game that Caleb could do all by himself....Lucky Duck. He won a plastic duck and a stuffed seal.

Putting the ducks in the basket. Funny how he had never played this before but yet he knew what to do.

Looking at the baby chicks. He was so interested in them but he would NOT touch them. This was the petting zoo but yet I think he would only touch the kittens. Ha!

Grandma trying to get him to pet the chick.

Daddy trying to make Caleb like rabbits. HA! Notice his hand is drawn away from it! Jim thinks we should get him a rabbit.....um, this picture doesn't show that Caleb wants a rabbit. :)

Caleb with his Grandpa and Grandma. We enjoyed our visit with them this year! Caleb misses going up and down the steps to the lake, golf cart rides, and of course the "b-ball" game outside. :)

Wisconsin Vacation...so far

2009-07-28T15:49:00.008-04:00

We have been enjoying our visit with Jim's parents in Wisconsin this week. They live on a lake and golf course so there is lots to do. The weather has been so nice and not so hot. Caleb just wants to spend most of his time outside playing. Here are a few pictures to show a little of what we are doing so far.

Cabush family picture

Helping Grandpa water the flowers

Drinking some water out of the hose

the 4 grandkids- Michael, Leighann, Caleb, and Ben

Caleb loves to walk on the pier

Swimming at Jim's brothers pool

Checking out the family boat

Grandpa and Caleb on the boat

Riding on the boat is a little windy!

Thinking which golf ball to pick up

"Ball"...he wants that off the flag pole

taking all the golf balls out of the hole

A day at the Zoo

Train ride at the Zoo

4th of July

2009-07-06T14:19:00.004-04:00

We had a great 4th of July this year. We went to our friends the Swanson's house for a cookout and swimming. Caleb loves to swim! He does have plenty of flotation devices to hold him up so that I don't have to hold him so much. He loves his independence! He even jumped off the diving board a few times. I am so glad he has no fear of the water or really anything....except for fireworks! When the bottle rockets started Caleb was getting out of there!
Here are some pictures of our fun night!

Our 4th tradition....matching T shirts.

Recent Pics

2009-06-24T20:47:00.002-04:00

Last weekend Jim was out of town on a youth retreat so Caleb and I saw a lot more of my parents during that time. We spent the night with them one night to see how Caleb liked sleeping there. He didn't even care that I was there with him I don't think. :)
My parents also helped keep Caleb while I was volunteering/shopping at the big consignment sale.
I did enjoy my time with just Caleb and me at home. I love playing with him and making him laugh. He did miss his Daddy though and was happy to see him Tuesday. He was so excited that he ran through the house wanting his daddy to chase him for a long time. When Jim is home at night that is their ritual they do before bath time.
So, here are a few pictures from the past few days.

Caleb in his own recliner at his Grandparent's house.

He was also watching Veggie Tales while eating the goldfish

Grandmother

This is Caleb running through the house as he likes to do before bedtime as he wants me to chase
him.

"Here momma have a train"

Creative Discovery

2009-06-16T13:16:00.003-04:00

Playing in the water

Curious George exhibit

Driving the car

This was on top of the slide which he loved.

Caleb vacuuming the kitchen

Still vacuuming

Last week we took advantage of the free night at Creative Discovery Museum. I think Caleb had a great time playing. I'm glad that have an area for kids under 4 to play in so that he wasn't running all over the place. I think they have free night once a month so we might try it again next month!

A Walk on the Bridge

2009-06-10T12:46:00.003-04:00

This morning I was trying to think of something for us to do to get out of the house. It was cloudy so I didn't think it would be too hot at 10:30 when we left. I decided to take Caleb for a walk on the walking bridge downtown. We got lucky and found a close free parking space near the bridge. We walked to one end and back and by then it was getting HOT. Caleb seemed to enjoy it as he was relaxed in the stroller. We got to see the Southern Belle Riverboat go under the bridge as it was playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for some reason. I looked to see if the boat was full of kids but it wasn't. HA! Caleb watched the boat till it passed under the next bridge and we couldn't see it anymore.

We also stopped in a new cute little ice cream shop near where we parked. I think it is called The Ice Cream Show. I had me some vanilla ice cream mixed with brownies. They mix it up till the brownie is very tiny pieces. I thought it was too expensive for what you get but it was good. Caleb didn't have any even though I did offer him some. He will not eat anything new to him. It's fine with me though. As long as he doesn't eat sweets the better.

This is just a picture to show that he is out of his high chair now and sitting at the table with us in his booster seat. Like a good boy that he is...eating his broccoli!!

Last "Bird" class at Little Gym

2009-05-29T21:40:00.007-04:00

Today was Caleb's last class as a "bird" at Little Gym. He will be moving up to being a "beast" in the toddler class. Probably a more fitting name for the age!?! :)
Here are a few pictures and video. The video is of him talking to himself in the mirrors. This was his thing to do after the class was over. :)

Waiting to get stamps from Mr. Keith after class

Playing with the balls

He is really good at walking on the beam

Rolling off the wheel

Rolling on the wheel

He likes for us to name the colors on this mat as he walks on them

Climbing into the hole

Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg Trip

2009-05-27T22:11:00.008-04:00

We have spent the past 4 nights in Pigeon Forge, TN. We were blessed to be able to use a time share condo for a mini vacation. It was a nice spontaneous trip that was much needed for the 3 of us! My parents came in to spend the last night with us and half a day today (Wed). We were able to go on a short hike, let Caleb ride the kiddie rides, and enjoy some good meals. There are lots of pictures and I just had to share them all. :)

Here we are eating in Gatlinburg at an Italian place. I liked that they had crayons and paper to color on while we waited on the food. Caleb ate a whole bowl of noodles!

He loves to talk on the phone.

Our 2.5 mile hike. This was Caleb's first hiking trip. He loved it! At the end of the trail was a nice waterfall. Caleb fell asleep in the backpack on the way back down.

I love how he is looking at me in this picture. :)

Riding the train

Caleb loved riding this train. He has started saying "Choo choo" while holding his fist in the air.

This was probably his 2nd favorite ride...the swings. He loves to swing so no surprise there!

He really surprised me that he was NOT scared of any ride we put him on. He just sat down and had this bored look on his face most of the time. I think he was tired and just didn't care what we made him do! HA!

I have to say it was a weird feeling to put my baby on these "big" rides without me with him. Parents weren't allowed to ride most of them since they are made for the little ones.

He loves Thomas! He would not stay away from this train. After each ride he would head back over to this .50 cent ride. He eventually started hugging the face of Thomas. I wasn't able to get a picture of that but it was so cute!

He didn't really like the horse.

He was ok with the giraffe.

I really thought Caleb would freak out on this ride..the farris wheel. I was wrong! He did just fine and did not care that he was in a cage all by himself. He did however get stopped at the very top while the other kids got unloaded first. He got out of his seat belt and stood up to look down. Of course he could not get out of the cage as it was locked from the outside but still I was nervous. He was fine and seemed to enjoy this.

This is to show how big it was. Caleb is at the very top in the yellow one.

He got bored on this ride before it was over. He was wanting to switch horses.

Driving the dump truck

Outside of our condo

We made my parents come just so we could get a family picture! HA HA

Gatlinburg

Kindermusik

2009-05-12T21:08:00.005-04:00

This morning was Caleb's last Kindermusik class that he has been in since he was 9 months old. The class was at First Baptist Chattanooga. He grew to love his teacher Ms. Janice. When we first started the class he didn't want anything to do with her or anyone else really. Now he loves it when Ms. Janice notices him and when he thinks she is "chasing" him around in the circle. Once he got to walking so good I rarely could hold him to do the activities. He just wanted to run around and do his own thing. He loves music and loves to dance to the music.
It was sad in a way for us to leave this class. For one Ms. Janice is leaving First Baptist so if we do Kindermusik again it can't be with her. Second, he will be moving up to the older class if we do sign up again in the fall.

Here are some pictures that show what Caleb loved about Kindermusik. Walking around in the big circle with Ms. Janice

He loves the scarf over his head

So happy!

"Beat the drum...beating the drum is lots of fun..rum tum tum"

(This is a song we sing)

Thomas the Train

2009-05-10T22:11:00.005-04:00

So, this actually happened a few weeks ago but I'm just now getting around to posting. We decided to take Caleb to see Thomas the train exhibit while it was at the TN Valley Railroad. The neat thing about this was that everything was free except for the train ride. We weren't planning on riding the train since Caleb is too young and wouldn't really care about it. Maybe in a few years we will do that!
My parents met us there and helped us keep up with Caleb as he wanted to walk everywhere!

Here are a few pictures of his adventure with Thomas.

There was a petting zoo. Caleb wasn't scared he just didn't want to touch the animals

He also didn't want the animals to touch him! He is hiding his face. :)

I see a train table being bought for him in the future! :)

Playing with the trains

Here comes Thomas!

Trying to get a pic with Sir Topham Hat. Caleb just wanted to touch him.

Watching the Big trains with Grandmommy

Caleb loved it when the train went by and blew the steam and horn. It was loud but he wasn't scared!!

Easter Fun

2009-04-12T22:33:00.008-04:00

Our family has had a wonderful Easter weekend! The fun started Saturday morning at Caleb's 1st Easter egg hunt. It was at my parents church Woodland Park Baptist. Caleb had been practicing hunting eggs at home so he knew what to do. Caleb had fun finding the eggs to put in his basket. He even found a prize egg that won him a stuffed lamb and a $10.00 Walmart gift card!
Here are some pictures from the hunt

Sunday morning our church-Oakwood Baptist in Chickamauga held their Easter in the Park service. There were approx. over 10,000 people there! Yay! Caleb was not feeling well this morning but we went anyway. He was happy to walk around when the music was playing. He even danced and clapped along with some songs. It was so cute. Even a 1 year old can praise the Lord! :) He eventually got tired and actually fell asleep in my lap during the sermon. It was a blessing in a way for us that he didn't feel good so that he would sit still and even sleep during all that.

Here he is dancing along to the music.

Sunday after Caleb's nap we went to eat at my parents house. Caleb also hunted some eggs in their yard. He is wearing his Easter outfit since we didn't dress up for the service at the park we dressed up more to go see my parents....mainly for pictures! :) Thanks to Alicia for providing Caleb with a cute outfit....it was Joshua's last year! :)

Here are a few pictures of us at my parents.

Almost impossible to get a good family picture

With Great Aunt Betty

And finally here is Caleb's Easter basket. He likes the wind up hopping rabbit the best!

Cool Dude

2009-04-08T22:45:00.004-04:00

I am finally getting around to posting again! One late afternoon as we were driving back home the sun was hitting Caleb's face which he doesn't like. Caleb's Grandma had bought him some sunglasses while we were in Florida but he wouldn't wear them there. So, I reached back and put the sunglasses on Caleb since the sun was in his eyes. He smiled and did not take them off even after we got home! Here are some pictures of my little dude in his shades. :)
By the way he is picking up our rocks to bring to me sitting on the porch.

Click on the above picture to see his face up close. Funny boy! :)

Every time we go outside he plays with the rocks. When we go to play with Sydney, the neighbor, he always picks up a rock to take to her. She takes it from him every time and that's the end of it. It's so sweet!!

Florida Trip

2009-03-25T21:01:00.005-04:00

Caleb has now been to the beach twice in his life. Last week we spent vacation in Fort Myers, FL. with Jim's parents. Jim's grandparents owned a home down there and we would go visit them at least once a year. Now that they have passed away Jim's parents own the home. So, they were down there for a few weeks so we had to visit. I think it's the nicest place in Florida! I love where they live in a retirement community on a golf course called Seven Lakes. It's so peaceful and it's always nice to go lay by the pool where it's quiet.

This year I was looking forward to taking Caleb to the beach since he only saw it when he was 3 months old. He seemed to like it at first but then he noticed his feet sinking in the sand so he decided he didn't want to walk. Jim had to carry him while we walked the beach. We only visited the beach the last day we were there just to see how Caleb liked it. I guess if we had gone more often or stayed longer he might have warmed up to being there.

Caleb mostly liked going to a park nearby. It had two water area's that were fenced in so the kids could run through the sprinklers. He had no problem walking under the water!

We had a great time and can't wait to go back there!

His expression shows what he thinks of the beach! :)

Our boat ride on the lake at the park

Feeding the ducks with Grandma/Grandpa

Warm Weather

2009-03-09T22:58:00.003-04:00

We have taken advantage of these warm days by playing outside. Our neighbor friends Sydney and her mom Misty come out and we chase the kids around the yard. Sydney is only 2 weeks older than Caleb so it is nice to have a friend close by to play with. Here are a few pictures that I had to hurry to capture of them playing.

It looks like Caleb is pushing Sydney

For some reason Caleb wanted to see what the rope tasted like. Sometimes I wonder what he is thinking! :)

16 months old!

2009-02-26T21:25:00.004-05:00

Today Caleb is 16 months old. He is trying to talk and say words but still only says Mama. He has started saying "Oh" or "oooh" at things. He loves to watch his videos and will laugh out loud at them. He likes Baby Faith, The Wiggles, and recently Thomas the Tank. He laughs when the trains move fast and he likes it when the music comes on.

We have taught him to pray before he eats his food. Usually we had to put his hands together and make him do it. Now when we say "Let's pray" he will put his hands together and usually will sit there like that till we are done. Our prayers are really short of course! It is the cutest and sweetest thing! The other day while we were eating we were watching the news and a story came on about a baby that needed some kind of organ transplant. Caleb noticed the baby and was smiling at the baby so I told him we needed to pray for that baby. When I said "pray" he put his hands together and we prayed for the baby. What impressed me was that he held his hands together until I finished praying even though there was food on his tray! He would normally start the prayer like that but will pick up some food during the prayer if there is food in front of him.

Here are a few pictures that were taken by my friend Alicia at her son's bday party. I just really loved these and wanted to post them. Sitting in a chair

He is amazed at something...not sure what!

Update:Valentines,Bday,Stamps

2009-02-18T21:23:00.006-05:00

This post is going to update you on what we have been doing over the last few weeks. I haven't blogged in so long so this one is going to be long.

Last Saturday we went to my friend Alicia's to celebrate her son Joshua's birthday party. He is turning 2 in a few days. My friend Carrie who lives in Americus GA was also there with her daughter Taylor who is also 2. It was a good time to visit with my friends and to see our children play together. Caleb seems to jump right in to playing wherever we go. As long as there are toys, food, or in this case balloons to play with then he is a happy boy!
Here are a few pictures from the party.

Joshua the birthday boy

Monday we went to our playgroup Valentine party at Karen's house. I think there were around 21 children there. At least it really didn't seem that bad since most of the older kids were upstairs playing while the little ones and mom's were downstairs.
This was the first time Caleb ate his lunch at a table sitting in a regular chair. I usually put him in a booster seat when we are out but this time I thought I would let him try the table. I thought he would probably not sit still and have his plate on the floor. I was wrong! He sat there so good that he didn't move till all his food was gone. This boy is serious about eating his food! He didn't even try to move the plate till the end when he was all done. He is getting to be a big boy!

Heidi, Kyle, Caleb

Here are a few pictures of Caleb playing with stickers for the first time. He got a few stickers at Joshua's party so I wanted him to learn to use them. I would peel off the sticker and give it to him to put on the paper. He had this look of disgust when the sticker would not come off his finger but he eventually got them on the paper. It was so cute! I can't wait till he can do more crafty things himself.
Never mind the drool on his shirt...I never notice it till it shows up in pictures. :)

15 month checkup

2009-02-03T20:52:00.003-05:00

Last Friday Caleb had his 15 month check up. He is still around the 50th percentile in weight and height. He has pretty much stayed right around 50 except for one time he was more in the 25th percentile. He now weighs 23.6 lbs and is 31 inches. He grew 2 inches since 12 months old and gained a little over 2 pounds. His head measured 50 so his head has always been a little on the big side. I wonder what that means? Smart maybe?? I think so!! :)

He also was given the DTaP shot which I thought..no big deal only one shot this time! Wrong! Saturday around 1:00 am he woke up with 104 fever. His fever has gone up and down since then. Today I thought he was going to be better so I waited a while to give him medicine and sure enough after his nap it was back to 103.

Anyway, this is considered a side effect of this vaccine and could last up to 4 days. So, tomorrow if he still has a fever we have to go back to the Dr. since it could be something else.

Other than the fever he is fine and will play like normal once it has gone down a bit.

I am about to go crazy being in the house since Sat. My parents came and took over for a few hours Monday so I could run some errands. I have also had a cold but am feeling better and want to get out now!

I love being home with Caleb but some days I get so bored of the mundane stuff that we do each day. As soon as I sit down he wants me to read to him or play with him. He really has wanted my attention so much more lately. I can do my household chores but it's not long till he's following me with a book or just wanting my attention.

At least I do get some alone time during his 2 hour nap each day!

He usually will get in this cabinet to bring me the Ritz box but now he has learned he can get himself in the cabinet. Here is a picture from today..

Cabush Look-alike Meter

2009-01-20T13:09:00.002-05:00

I found this on my friend Carrie's blog. I am not surprised that it shows Caleb looking like Jim more. I thought it would have been higher!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Dynasty

Play Date

2009-01-19T12:31:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday Caleb and I went to Cleveland to visit Jenny one of my long time friends. The last time we visited was when Caleb was 4 months and her son Anderson was 6 months. So, this was the first time that the boys played together. They were so cute together and they often wanted the same toy to push around. Jenny made a wonderful lunch for us with grilled cheese on homemade bread for the kids and homemade potato soup for us. We hope to get to visit again soon. Jenny is homeschooling her 2 girls so she stays very busy and it's a treat to get to visit with them!
Here are a few pictures of the boys playing....

Using a Fork/Animal sounds

2009-01-14T14:37:00.006-05:00

Today as we were eating lunch Caleb kept reaching for the fork on the table. I have let him hold the fork before with caution as he can easily poke himself. Today he acted like he wanted to eat with it instead of just playing with it. So I showed him how to stab the food and he did the rest. I had to help him get the food on the fork then he would eat it. He eventually started trying to stab the food himself but I still had to help him to get it. Now I have to go buy some kid forks since all we have are spoons!

He has started making some animal noises that he has learned. He will make the noise for elephant and lift his arm(like the trunk of the elephant does). He will go "mmm" for the cow saying Moo. He is trying to say Kitty for our cat who is named Kitty. He won't say Meow but will just say something like "kikikiki". He will roar like a lion and tiger. It's just all so cute and new to me. I love how he is able to learn things and do them now. He still hasn't said any clear words but I know it won't be long till he is talking! He already jabbers all the time....going to take after his Daddy I believe. :)

Here are some pics of him eating...

He decided to play peekaboo with his bib after he ate

Temper Tantrums?

2009-01-05T22:39:00.002-05:00

Today Caleb woke up from his nap and as usual I go in to where he is sitting in his crib crying waiting for me. I go to pick him up and he lays down and cries and acts like he doesn't want me touching him. I finally got him to stand up but then he goes to put his nose in the corner of the crib with his back to me. I let him cry for a few minutes and left the room. He would calm down a bit then as I would come back to the door he starts again. Anyway, I finally got him out of the crib and tried to give him a cracker and milk but he didn't want that. He laid on the floor in the living room crying. He would let me hold him some of the time but then he would fight to get back down on the floor. I was worried something was physically wrong with him like a tummy ache or something. Finally after about 40 minutes of this he was fine! He started playing like nothing was wrong.

I decided since it was a warmer day outside to go out and let him walk around in the yard. He loved doing that but as soon as I tried to steer him away from the road he fought me and whined. When I decided it was time to go inside he had another melt down. This was obviously a tantrum this time! He went to all corners of his room and would look at me as I walked by his door. I don't know how long this one lasted but he eventually calmed down and played again.
Whew, I guess he is at the age now where these tantrums start. My sweet little baby!!!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T21:46:00.007-05:00

Christmas morning was early! Caleb woke up before 7:00 am so we took him to show him his gifts. He got a basketball hoop, a tent to play in (from my parents), the new Elmo Live, and a few other small things. He knew right away how to put the ball in the hoop. He also loved his new Elmo but he keeps wanting to push it over since his other Elmo laughs while laying on the ground. We had a relaxing day at home for most of the day. We went to my aunt Betty's that afternoon to see my cousins and open presents with them.

Here are a few pics from our morning. My pics are all out of order from how I wanted them but don't know how to fix it.

Caleb almost loved sitting on this box more than the presents.

Watching his Elmo talk

Opening his Elmo

Daddy showing him his new mega blocks

His new play tent from Grandmommy/Granddaddy

Shooting some hoops

We had a great Christmas here at home with my family. Christmas Eve we went to my parents to have dinner and open presents with them. Normally we would have gone to a Christmas Eve service with my parents that night but Caleb was not feeling the greatest since he had a cold. We also knew that Caleb would not sit through the service at all so one of us would have to sit out with him. So Jim and I decided not to go this year. Some things have to change due to having a little one.

Here are a few pictures from my parents house

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Caleb's First Haircut

2008-12-20T15:25:00.005-05:00

Today we took Caleb for his 1st haircut. I was worried he wouldn't sit still and would cry but he was SO good! The hairdresser, Amy, had a cool light on her desk that kept his attention. He also had a sucker to eat so that helped the most. He was such a big boy and now looks like a big boy!

**I posted two times so keep reading**

Balls in the clock

2008-12-20T15:18:00.002-05:00

Caleb has a pool full of balls that he loves to play in. Lately he has learned to put the balls in places that he finds. He thinks it's funny to put the balls in our grandfather clock. The door doesn't have the glass in it and he can open the door to it. So he fills up the bottom of the clock till the balls fall out of the hole where the glass should be. This takes him a lot of time but he loves this. Of course we have to go in to get the balls out of the bottom of the clock since he can't reach down that far.

Playgroup Christmas Party

2008-12-15T22:15:00.004-05:00

Today we had our playgroup Christmas party. Caleb had so much fun exploring a new house and playing with other toys. It was nice to just let him go play and not have to be with him every second. I did have to keep an eye on him just to know where he was so he didn't get into any trouble. The kids drew names for Secret Santa so we brought a gift for Joshua and Cason had a gift for Caleb.
Caleb also enjoyed the train that went around Julene's tree. He wanted to keep going to the tree to see it move. He just smiled at the train as it went by. I wasn't able to get a picture of him looking at it but I did take a picture of the train.
Once we left I thought for sure Caleb would fall asleep on the way home and then nap once we got home. I was looking forward to a nap myself! Well, he laid in his bed for maybe 30 minutes being quiet but then he cried and cried. He never would go to sleep so he did not have a nap and neither did I. I was so ready for Jim to get home at 5:00!

This is the train that Caleb loved on the tree!

Caleb in the middle of where the boys are playing

The room full of chaos :)

Cason

Decorating Our Tree

2008-12-05T21:45:00.004-05:00

I finally got motivated to put the decorations on the tree. We have had the tree up since last Friday but just now had the time to decorate it. It didn't take me very long at all since I decided to leave the bottom bare. I had some unbreakable ornaments on the bottom to see what Caleb would do. Well, he would take them off as soon as I put one on. I just thought it wasn't worth me worrying about him getting an ornament off and ending up with the hook in his mouth if I wasn't watching him. So for this year we used a lot less ornaments since we didn't put any in Caleb's reach. I took a few pictures of him "helping" me decorate. :)

Photo Tag

2008-12-04T22:05:00.003-05:00

I've been photo tagged by Alicia.

Here are the rules:

1. Choose the 4th picture folder on your computer

2. Choose the 4th picture

3. Explain the picture

4. Choose 4 people to do the same (I think everyone I know has already done this)

I had to choose the 3rd picture since there were only 3 pictures in my 4th folder. Let me say how proud I was to have to put this picture on here. LOL Not really!!

This was taken at the Wisconsin State Fair back in 2004. My husband must have thought it was fun to take my picture by the cow. At least the cow was looking at us! Fun times! :)

Using the Spoon

2008-12-01T09:35:00.003-05:00

Caleb has been practicing using his spoon lately. He will let me feed him a couple of bites before he wants the spoon to feed himself. He has gotten so much better the past week. It's rather messy of course but I don't mind since it's at breakfast while he's still in his pj's. I took a few pictures this morning of his new skill...

He seems to always touch his eyes and hair when his hands are covered with food!

Holidays

2008-11-20T12:55:00.004-05:00

I haven't had much to blog about lately and life has been busy. We have had a rough few weeks with some added stress. Some days I wonder what God is doing in our life in some of the circumstances that we have to deal with but I have to trust that it is all part of His plan and He will work it out for His good. It's so hard to not become angry and resentful and I have to admit I have become those things recently. God is dealing with me on it and I hope to grow spiritually through it. I have to learn to be content and that's the hardest for me!!

I am excited about the Holidays coming up. I love Christmas and all the activities that are involved. I love going to the Christmas parties and getting together with family that we only see once a year. I joined the choir at our church so I am singing in the Christmas program we are doing for the whole weekend. I love getting out the Christmas music that I listen to every year in the car. I've been having to listen to the choir music in order to memorize it all so that is all that has been playing non stop in our car. Caleb seems to enjoy it too!

Caleb meets Super Why!

2008-11-11T14:34:00.004-05:00

Sunday afternoon we took Caleb to WTCI to meet some of the characters from the shows he occasionally watches. He really only watches Super Why and so we wanted to see his reaction to seeing him in person. He just stared at him not knowing what to think. He wasn't scared at all so that was good. We got a few other pictures with the Big Bird sign he kept wanting to touch and also with Curious George.

This woman asked to carry Caleb over to Super Why....I just love Caleb's face...like who are you!

He does know Big Bird and wanted to touch him....maybe b/c he wasn't real.

He was sort of afraid to touch Curious George

Fall Colors

2008-11-06T16:43:00.004-05:00

I love the beauty of fall colors. The trees have finally changed and are at their peak right now here around Chattanooga. I especially love the drive where the mountains are in full view. Today I drove up Signal Mountain just to look at the trees. It was so pretty!! While I was up there Caleb and I stopped at a playground we have been to. Jim was able to meet us there since he had a meeting up there...it worked out perfect!

I sat on a bench while Jim and Caleb played just taking in the beauty of fall and thanking God for his creation. I wonder how many people actually stop in their busy day just to sit and look at the beauty God created or even think of God at all. I can't help but think of God when I am amazed at the beauty He gave us to enjoy!

Caleb and the computer

2008-11-04T14:30:00.005-05:00

The other day I let Caleb wander into the office room as I was following behind him slowly. When I came in the room he was on the computer!! LOL He has seen me on the computer some and now likes to play with the mouse. I just thought it was so funny that it looked like he was clicking the mouse and looking at the screen. Maybe he will be a computer genius when he grows up!! :)

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-02T20:36:00.003-05:00

This year for Halloween I was excited to take Caleb out to our church Harvest Happening and to do some trick-or-treating. We just took him to our two neighbors since we know them the best. He got some candy for mom and dad to eat!! He was so cute standing at the door with his little pumpkin bucket. I didn't get any pictures of that since I was too busy with him.

He had a great time at the church festival. Once he warmed up to being there around all the people he wanted to walk around everywhere. He even played a game where he picked up a duck out of the pool and won some candy. He also enjoyed looking at the big spot lights they had and the balloons.

Here are a few pictures of my adorable pumpkin! :)

ER visit and 12 month Dr. visit

2008-10-30T13:01:00.004-04:00

We have now taken our first trip to the ER with Caleb. We made it a whole year but just barely!
Monday after his afternoon nap he woke up with a froggy sounding cough and runny nose. That night he had a fever that kept going up till it reached 105! I put him in the bath and called the nurse. She said since it was so high we needed to take him to the ER. We had already given him Tylenol an hour before the high fever. So about 9:00 we headed to TC Thompson. By the time we got there his fever was down to 102. They did some blood test and x-rayed his chest but everything turned out fine. By the time we left there he was feeling much better. He just had some kind of virus. The next day he was fine all except for a runny nose.

Anyway, yesterday I took him for his 12 month check up. He got 4 shots..poor baby! He weighs 20 lbs. 10 oz and is 29 inches long. This is in the 25th percentile on the growth chart. He had been running in the 50th percentile so now he has slowed down quite a bit. He only grew a quarter of an inch since 9 months! I just thought he would have been a little taller by now. At least now we get to use the new car seat that sits forward facing! That makes me a little sad...it means he isn't a baby anymore!

1st Birthday Party

2008-10-28T16:00:00.007-04:00

Sunday we had a small party at our house for Caleb. Jim's parents came to town from Wisconsin to celebrate with us. My parents came and also my aunt Betty. Caleb had two of his 1 year old friends to come Sydney and Cody. The theme was Elmo since Caleb has liked Elmo from just a few months old. He smiles every time Elmo comes on TV and he likes to play with his talking Elmo's. Caleb did not like eating his cake though. He got some icing on his fingers and tasted it a few times but started to cry. He just wanted more Goldfish instead!

Each child got a "Find Elmo" book, an Elmo sippy cup, and a DVD of his 1 year slideshow.

I was a little sad to see his first birthday come and go. It just seems so weird that he is now walking around and becoming a toddler.

Here are a few pictures of his big day.

Caleb playing with the balloons

Caleb listening to his Elmo singing "Happy Birthday"

Caleb sitting in his ball pit

The Elmo Cake

Caleb not eating his cake

Learning to rip the paper off

Caleb and his friend Sydney

Caleb's friend Cody

Happy 1st Birthday Caleb!

2008-10-26T19:55:00.004-04:00

Today my baby turns 1 year old. It's so hard to believe that it's been a year. It has been fun to watch him learn new things and develop. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. I had a planned C-section due to the fact that he was big. I was given the choice by Dr. Brody to have the c-section or be in labor for possibly a long time then still end up with the c-section. I was glad of my decision after he weighed 8lbs 11 oz and was 21 3/4 inches long. The Dr. said I made a good choice when he got Caleb out. I also had gestational diabetes so the Dr. said that usually makes for a bigger baby with broad shoulders so Dr. Brody said it is safer for the baby to have a c-section. I figured why take the chance on hurting him during a normal delivery. My whole experience was great and recovery wasn't bad at all. I even enjoyed my stay at the hospital.
Here are a few pics from his birth. I will post pictures of his birthday party later.

Playground Fun

2008-10-21T13:08:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we met our playgroup friends at a park called the Pumpkin Patch Playground. It is up on Signal Mountain about 30 minutes from our house. It is a very big playground with different sections to it. It had a huge slide that Caleb loved to go down with me. It also has a section for the smaller children so we stayed in that area mostly. Caleb got to play in the sand a little but he didn't care much for it being on his hands. Also since he still has to put everything in his mouth it made it hard for him not to eat the sand. He loves to swing and it had some baby swings so he enjoyed that for a while.
Caleb is starting to walk more now. He takes a few steps till he loses his balance. He just wanted down most of the time to either walk or crawl on the ground. It is finally feeling like fall weather here. It was a nice cool day! Here are a few pictures of Caleb playing.

Sale!

2008-10-19T22:38:00.003-04:00

I LOVE to shop...especially when I can find a bargain! Yesterday I went to one of the biggest consignment sales that is here in Chattanooga 3 times a year. Friday I took a few things to sell and I volunteered for 4 hours. The benefits to selling and volunteering are that you can get in to shop at the sale before the public can. It's almost like an adrenaline rush to go in and see what all you can find before someone else does. LOL
So, I was able to get Caleb some toys for his birthday and will probably save one or two for Christmas presents. I also got him some really cute "expensive" outfits. The good thing about getting in early is that it is easier to find name brand clothes. I'm not one to care if his clothes are name brand or not but at this sale I look for the outfits that I would never pay full price for in the stores. The really cool thing about what all I bought was that nothing was over $10.00 and none of the toys were over $5.00!!! Now, that is just too exciting!!!

Back on schedule!

2008-10-15T15:03:00.004-04:00

Yeah, Caleb slept all night without crying! He slept from about 8:30- 6:30 and did not cry out once! Today he has even taken his morning nap and afternoon nap without much of a fuss!

That's my sweet boy!! :)