Christmas Day

This is Katie's side of the family, who we were with on Christmas Day. My younger brother Seth is the only one missing. He's still out west hunting wild buffalo and living off the land, well, that's a bit of any exaggeration! Anyway, we had a great day Christmas and then the day after Christmas as well when we celebrated with Jeremy's side of the family. We're still hoping to post pictures from Caleb's birthday and from Thanksgiving, but still haven't gotten the camera and computer hooked up. We only have this picture because my brother took it and then sent it to all of us via email. We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and are celebrating the new year that is upon us. May 2008 be a blessed year for all of us.

What We've Been Up To

Sorry no pictures to post, but we left the camera with Jeremy in Memphis!!! I have some pictures from Thanksgiving and Caleb's birthday party to post, but I'm not able to post them right now due to technical difficulties- HA HA- who ever thought a stay at home mom would say that? Caleb and I have been at my parents in Nashville while Jeremy is finishing up school this month. We closed on the house, but since we have no furniture there, we're waiting to move in when Jeremy arrives with all of our belongings. I can't believe Christmas is just a couple of weeks away!!!

Caleb and the Snail

This video shows our 'Walker, Memphis Ranger' pulling his toy snail that my cousins gave him. I thought it was hilarious when I saw him doing this and he looked so proud of himself, like "Look what I can do Mommy!"

Caleb's 1 Year Old!

We took Caleb to Huey's to have their World Famous Burgers for his first birthday. I know, sounds pretty cheesy (No pun intended!), but we're having a party for him next week after Thanksgiving so we thought we'd celebrate by eating out on his actual birthday since Caleb loves French fries (all my dietitian friends will read this and cringe!). It was a fun evening and the burgers and fries were great. I can't believe my baby's a year old and I can't believe we made it a year breastfeeding, which was our ultimate goal. I remember thinking when Caleb was born, "Okay, breastfeed while you're in the hospital and then we'll see if we can do it at home." Then it was, "Okay, let's make it 6 weeks." Then it was, "Okay, let's make it 2 months." I had to tell myself that each month while always thinking in the back of my mind that there are only 12 months to make it a year. Numerous times I thought we wouldn't make it and then we'd wind up doing it another day and well, those days turned into 12 months! It wasn't easy, but I am so glad we made it (who knows when Caleb will be finished breastfeeding; at this point I think I'm just going to let him wean himself as he may be somewhat allergic to cow's milk- I'm not saying I plan on nursing him until he's 2, but if we made it this far, we can make it another month or two- plus, with the holidays and our move to Nashville, I don't think now is a good time to try and forcefully wean him). Oh well, this was not intended to be about me, but about Caleb turning a year old!!!!

Over the River and Through the Woods...

We had a great time on a recent visit to Jackson to see Jeremy's mom. Caleb decided to combine his cardio cat-chasing exercises with some weight-lifting, which gave us all a laugh. No doubt Midnight, the cat, was glad to see us go!!

Look Who's Walking Now

Caleb's been taking steps the past couple of weeks and it really seems to have "clicked" somewhat for him these past two days. Here's a couple of short videos I took of his big excursions.

A Christmas Poem

My 11 year old niece Abigail Louise Hinkson wrote this poem. With the holidays just around the corner, I thought it was an excellent reminder of the real reason for the season.


It Was Christmas Eve

It was Christmas Eve,
And all through the nation
Between Christ and Christmas
There was no relation.

Instead were commercials,
And big jolly sleighs,
But no little Nativity
Or Baby Jesus plays.

People were wrapping,
And last-minute shopping
At big expensive stores
Until at last they were dropping.

Jesus was still in the basement,
With the rest of the scene,
While outside the world
Was watching a flat-screen.

No one sang carols
Of Christ Jesus the King,
Instead they were at stores
Using up green.

And after all the stores
Were finally closed
They sang of Rudolph,
The reindeer, red-nosed.

Then they decorated the tree
With tacky plastic things,
Like glittery this, gigantic that,
And beings with ugly huge wings.

Yet, never, not once,
Did they stop to consider,
Was there too little Jesus,
And maybe, too much glitter?

They just ran about
Like mind-controlled zombies
From Target and Sears
To Fitch and Abercrombies.

So don't let Christmas
Commercialism get you down,
Instead think of Baby Jesus
And give Him the crown.

Trick or Treat

Caleb had a great first Halloween. We went to Bellevue's Fall activities and he loved it! They had a petting zoo which he seemed to enjoy and all kinds of rides (none of which we rode, but he just enjoyed the excitement of seeing them). To our amazement, he kept his mask on the whole night. We also ran into several members from our Sunday School Class who have kids and they were all so cute! Unfortunately some of our pictures with them didn't turn out.

Double Trouble

My sister-in-law took these of Caleb (11 1/2 months) and his cousin Radnor (14 1/2 months) in Nashville recently looking at a stray cat hanging outside my parents patio door.

Trip to North Carolina

We went to NC for Jeremy's Fall Break to visit friends of ours who live there and attend my cousin's wedding. Caleb had a great time on the plane flirting with the nice lady in the seat behind us. He also enjoyed eating at the best Hot Dog/Hamburger joint in NC- Cubbies!!!! Our friends have a great swing set and slide which we all got to spend some time on. Thanks so much to Hunter, Melissa and Bailey for the hospitality. Our batteries on the camera went dead at the wedding, so we didn't get any pictures there, but it was a beautiful wedding. Best wishes to Ben and Anna.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

The men in my family find the most interesting ways to amuse themselves, thereby providing me with great amusement as well. Caleb had just finished a scrumptious meal of sweet potatoes, peas and chicken when I shot this video. I'm sure I had asked Jeremy to clean Caleb up and he of course had to make a game of it! No wonder God intended for babies to have a mommy and a daddy!

Blue Jean Baby

Caleb's older cousin loaned him these "rad" jeans. They were so cute on him I had to take a picture!

Baby Dedication

Caleb's baby dedication was this past Sunday night at Bellevue. He did fine until the pastor started talking and then he started crying. He would then calm down for a minute and then start crying again. Grandmama, Granddaddy and Uncle Luke came from Nashville to share the occasion with us and to celebrate Granddaddy's birthday.

Halloween Preview

POW! BAM! Is it the Caped Crusader? Could it be.......BATBABY? Jeremy had to see if Caleb's Halloween costume would fit. He only got the mask on and Caleb was overcome by his superpowers. You can see the packaging still in the rest of the costume on his back.

My Favorite Things

Swimming and the Titans! Caleb and Jeremy are hoping for a successful season this year for the Titans.

Washing Dishes in My Underwear

Caleb loves to get in the kitchen and inspect anything and everything. Yesterday he even tried to help with loading the dishes in the dishwasher. While I appreciated the effort, I think we'll have to wait a few years before putting him on kitchen duty. I'm so glad to have this picture, however, so when he's a teenager I can show it to him and say, "See son, you loved cleaning up the kitchen when you were little- even when you were just wearing a diaper!"

This Is What Happens When I Feed Myself

Caleb is no longer content to let me feed him and he is quite determined to feed himself. For lunch yesterday he managed to feed himself green beans, kidney beans and some cheerios. He's been feeding himself the cheerios for a while now, but the green beans and kidney beans were a first. He did pretty well except for the mess! Not only does he get food everywhere, but he also rubs it in his hair and all over his face.

Caleb Sings

Jeremy has recently decided to take up guitar and Caleb absolutely loves it when he practices. Jeremy appropriately named the guitar "Temptation" since Caleb has to be right there with it when it's out. We really have to give Mr. Felker and my sister credit for Caleb's musical interest- Mr. Felker first introduced Caleb to strumming with "Brown-eyed Girl" and my sister first introduced Caleb to singing with her wonderful karaoke rendition of "My Guy" or some other great oldies hit. Wonder what Caleb will do when Jeremy is able to actually play something?

Bad Hair Day?

We thought Caleb just might be having one of those days by the looks of his hair.........

Caleb grows a goatee

When you have a baby who spits up all the time, you have to find the humor in it or it will drive you crazy! Caleb created this look all on his own and thankfully I was quick enough to get the camera before the spit fell on the carpet.

Caleb at 9 Months

Wow! Hard to believe Caleb is now 9 months. My mom and several others told me how fast the time would go, but I couldn't see it or understand it when I was so tired from lack of sleep. It is quite obvious to me now, however, that my little baby is quickly turning into a little boy. It is amazing to see him learn something new or do something for the first time and it is thrilling to see how much joy he gets from the simple things. I pray Jeremy and I have the strength to set appropriate boundaries for him while encouraging him to develop into his own person. I also pray we have the humility to raise him in a path that will lead him to love the Lord and live a life that brings glory to God. To think that the parenting I am doing now will affect Caleb's future is overwhelming. Someone once told me (most likely my mother), "If you raise a child right, you raise him to leave you." I think about this principle often, knowing that if I am indeed doing what I need to do for Caleb now, one day he'll be confident enough to walk out my front door and start out on his own. Hopefully, he will return at some point for a visit with a wife and some of his own children for me to spoil, as I have also been told that grandkids are a parent's reward for not killing his own kids. If Caleb is like my youngest two brothers, however, he'll return, move into his old room and be content to stay awhile and enjoy the life of a bachelor who enjoys his mom's home-cooking too much!

Caleb at 6-8 Months

These were the months for mobility! Caleb started sitting up, crawling, kicking and splashing in the pool and pulling up during these months. He also had his first guitar lesson.

Caleb at 3-5 Months

Caleb really started smiling for the camera during these months. He also started on some solid foods and had his first trip to the Peabody Hotel and Rendezvous with our friends from NC.