All Caleb and Eli All the Time

Bathroom Crazies

2010-11-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

Can you believe we woke up one morning to find a frog in the kids' bathroom? Well, thankfully it was Jeremy who discovered what he at first thought was a new bath toy but then realized when it moved that it wasn't a toy afterall. If it had been me who had discovered it, we'd still be searching for the skin I had jumped out of upon seeing it! Jeremy captured the frog and it was released to the wild. Apparently it traveled up through the toilet- so glad no one was sitting down using the toilet while the creature was in there!
Funny boy #1 post bath

And funny boy #2, who absolutely loves pulling his towel over his face and 'hiding' (from himself I think)!

Catch Up

2010-11-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

For the one or two of you who might still follow our blog, here's a few updates. Caleb had his first dental appointment back in September. He did wonderful and received an excellent report! These milestones are just coming way too fast! We had a great hygienist and a great dentist. Dr. Gunnels and his wife Jenna are friends of mine from high school and Jeremy was actually in pharmacy school in Memphis at the same time Josh was in dental school. It's a small world after all!
He looks so small in the big chair!

A few weeks later I was so thankful we now had a family dentist as Caleb had an unfortunate jump on the playground that left him with a bloody mouth and a front tooth pushed a couple of mm's forward. There wasn't anything they could do but they did x-ray it and let me know what to look for as far as concern for it in the future.

Girls Trip

2010-09-23T04:54:00.000-07:00

I recently had the privelege to make my first official "girls trip" with 3 of my best friends from high school. It was a great trip and served to reconnect me with my friends and provide for some needed downtime away from my house or should I say man cave! Plus, Eli had showed no signs of giving up nursing and as a last resort, Jeremy and I thought the physical serpartion might be necessary (sidenote, he had been eating well and really seemed to be using my for a paci 3-4 times a day). At 15 1/2 months old he was the same age as when I weaned Caleb, so I felt good about the timing. And this was our first overnight separation. According to his daddy, he did beautifully the entire weekend! And I could not say enough about the wonderful man I married. He had the children for the better part of 3 days and managed wonderfully! He did tell me, however, he had seen the other (my) side of things and understood me better- icing on the cake! I know if I had to work in the pharmacy at Vanderbilt for just a wee bit, no doubt I would come away from the experience with a new appreciation for all that Jeremy does for us. So, let's hope I can take that knowledge into account without the experience and be a more loving, godly and understanding wife. St. Louis was our destination and it was a blast!
Me and Rachel

Eating at a famous pizza place - appropriately named for all of you algebra lovers.

Cara and Robyn

Riding up the Arch (think of crawling up inside a super capacity dryer- with 4 other people- the lady who rode with us was nice enough to take this picture for us)

Until next time girls!

Enjoying the last days of summer

2010-09-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Pool days are over, until next year anyway! This was a fun place we found in Lebanon. Pushing Caleb around.
Eli learning to balance.

Practicing a few dance moves.

It's great when Daddy gets to come with us! A great day at the Don Fox Community Pool in Lebanon a few weeks ago. It is awesome! Very, very clean- in fact, a lot cleaner than the pool we pay to to swim in. Of course, they only have the kiddie pool, but it was perfect for Caleb and Eli- they both loved it!

Wilson County Fair

2010-09-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

This year was my first year to attend the Wilson County Fair, and I've lived here most of my life. I think anyway, I do seem to remember attending as a teen, but it is a foggy memory at best, which shows just how much of an impression it made on me! But, having talked my mom into entering somethings in the food events and having a 3 year old who seemed to be very interested in the "rides," we thought we'd give it a go. It was a lot of fun, but incredibly hot too.

My husband, the druggist."Holy Cow"

Snacking on peaches.

Caleb enjoyed the ride with his daddy.

Solo? Not so much!

Eli managed to take it all in stride.

My mom's "superb" and now "blue-ribbon" croissants.

The Grand Champion of Yeast Breads- Go Mom!

August Fun

2010-08-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sweet Potato and Chicken N Dumplins' for supper

I think the dumplins are Caleb's favorite food, although he would insist it is

suckers, gum or peach melba.
Eli loves okra- who'd a thunk?
More of Caleb's photography

I call this 'The Leg"

1st day of 2nd year of school

Caleb has his same teacher (Mrs. Anita) and most all of his same classmates.

When I picked him up at school today he told me that he really missed baby brother, me and Jeremy while he was at school. That's a first as last year I don't think he thought twice about being away from us. Love this boy and his spiderman lunch box!

This and That- Things that I Love

2010-08-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is the best okra dish- ever! And so easy. I served it here with honey mustard dipping sauce, but truth be told, I love the okra just plain. And so good for you. One half cup serving contains just around 25 calories (plain that is) and is a great source of folate.
Caleb's photography skills. He is so funny when taking a picture; he wants to put the camera right on the subject. I guess he's just up close and personal that way. Looking good babe!

Yummy, yummy peaches!

Brotherly love.

More brotherly love.

So much brotherly love I just can't stand it!

Little overnight trips with the hubster are great. This particular trip to Memphis (for a friend's wedding) was supposed to be just us- no kids. Mr. Eli, however, had other plans about my attempts to wean him. He just wasn't having any of it. So, we took him with us and he had a ball.

He was called to the dance floor like MC Hammer and got several laughs along the way. He loved the band and was in no way shy whatsoever. His one disappointment was not getting to meet my friend Janice who was supposed to be there as well but couldn't come at the last minute due to a family crisis.

The lovely bride and groom! They were just beautiful! Miss you Lesley but wish you all the best as Mrs. Wes Poole!

What would a trip to Memphis be without seeing the Peabody? The wedding was right across the street at the Cadre Building.

It was nice to see you again Memphis- We loved eating at Huey's and shopping at the Williams Sonoma/West Elm/Pottery Barn Outlet.

Zoo Day

2010-08-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

July 31st, 2010 we went to the zoo because it was our last day to be able to go on our current membership and we had decided not to renew (for awhile anyway). Uncle Luke went with us and was quite the help!

And it was HOT. And I mean HOT!"Must have drink now before I dehydrate."Said drink- $5.99 for all day refills. Yeah, we shared some backwash but I wouldn't call the zoo a germ free place anyway. Iccee's in a variety of flavors: cherry, blue raspberry, apple and finally, for daddy only, coke.What a very nutritious thing to feed your 14 month old. I doubt he or Caleb either one had ever had that much sugar in one day but it was hotter than, well, a cat on a hot tin roof, and we couldn't do ice cream so this was the next best thing. Gotta love Tennesse in July. Remember this time last year though? It was really too cold to go swimming. I guess to be truthful I'd rather it be triple digits in July than too cold to swim!

TOE MAY TOES and BLU BER-EEZ

2010-08-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Aren't they beautiful? And tasty too! Thanks Mom and Dad! Pretty soon one of these tomatoes will come into close contact with a knife, then some mayo, salt and pepper and be slapped on either side with a piece of bread for that oh so delicious southern treat known as a 'mater sandwich'. Coming soon to a plate near me and you! By the way if you have never tried one, I suggest you do- and to be truly southern, you need to use Duke's mayo and white bread. Actually, though, it's pretty good without the mayo and on whole wheat, and will save you somewhere between 50 to a 100 calories and provide you with some extra fiber.
Oh.My.Goodness. We have eaten more blueberries this year than ever! Caleb and Eli both love them and they are just wonderful! For all you ever wanted to know about blueberries, go here. And the canteloupe my parents have grown-DLISHUS! Caleb would probably eat melon at every meal if possible- he loves them all and so do I! The ones from my parents garden are much smaller than the ones from the grocery store, but oh my, they are quadruple the size in taste!
Here they are growing like grapes. They were so easy to pick and even Eli was able to get in on the fun. Now, just a word about picking blueberries... In order to get 'the sweet and juicy ones,' you really only want to pick the berries that are totally blue and easily turn loose when you pick them.

Funny, they pretty much come out in Eli's diaper the same way they look here- just maybe a tad darker blue. Well, my pies are out of the oven, (one a chocolate and one a miniature peach made from the leftover piecrust scraps), so I'll sign off for now. Hope you've managed to include some nice summer fruits in your diet this year!

Swimmer!

2010-08-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

This little guy thinks he can swim!!!

The parents garden

2010-07-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

We have had the wonderful benefit of living close enough to my parents to enjoy the delicious fruits from their garden! I had every intention this year of being a major player in the "work" of the garden, because it is without a doubt some tough work, but alas, I have not held up to my intentions! I doubt my parents will plan on my involvement in the future, thus potentially downsizing their crops. It is a wonderful things to have a garden, one I will hopefully undertake myself someday. Pumpkins in July, a bit like Christmas in July, but not
Okra blooms. We made this okra recipe a couple of weeks ago and it was every bit as delcious and easy as it looks! I will be making it again very soon!

Tommy Toes - Oh so good on a salad or just eaten by the handful!

Peas, Squash, Tomatoes, Corn

More of the same, different angle

Me and My Shadows

2010-07-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

What a tremendously HOT, HOT July we have had! On a recent trip to the park (that was disappointingly closed) we took sometime to photograph our shadows as it was really too hot to do much else. Caleb, 3 years and 8 months
Eli, 13 1/2 months

Me, 33 years

Jeremy, 36 years

Look Who's Walking Now!

2010-07-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

After 2 months of taking a step or two, Eli is walking! I think he took his first step back in May, but then his balance seemed to be terribly thrown off by suffering from repeated ear infections. He has been a complete teeter-totter and it has been so funny to watch! I know they say kids are all different, but it could not be more true of my two.

As far a physical capabilities, Caleb has beem more advanced with gross motor skills. He was crawling at 6 1/2 months and then walking at 11 1/2 months. Eli, on the other hand, crawled at about 7 1/2 months and walked at around 13 months. In comparing their fine motor skills, Eli has been more advanced. He was able to use a sippy cup about the first time I offered him one- I think around 6 months and he could easily drink through a straw by 11 months. In contrast, Caleb was close to a year before he was drinking well from a sippy cup and probably didn't master a straw until problably 15 months (some of this however, could be due to the fact that he had less opportunity to practice from a straw than Eli). I know these are not huge differences, but they are interesting and intriguing to me. Precious, precious boys!!!! Now, if I could ever get them to consistently nap at the same time!

Terrific Third, Fabulous Fourth!

2010-07-19T14:16:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Independence Day by attending the annual 4th of July Parade at Langford Farms Club on July 3rd. In all my years as a member of LFC, this was my first time to attend the parade. It was a blast! Caleb and I had worked hard on our little float and to our surprise (and perhaps because of our slight advantage at my being childhood friends with one of the judges), we won Best of Show! The winnings came with a nice $50 bill, which Caleb for some reason referred to as a ticket. There were a ton of participants- bike riders, people on actual "big" floats, skate boarders, the decorated LFC bus and even some little kids riding their motorized vehicles (of which one daddy had to watch his little girl like she was a teenager who had just received her license-hilarious!). Of course, there were a number of wagons and walkers too and there was fabulous music as well. Caleb really enjoyed being in charge of throwing the candy we had purchased as part of our float. We swam for a little while afterwards to cool off, but both boys were too tired to stay for the Coke Dive. Plus, Jeremy had to work and I don't know if I could have managed both boys by myself- they were too excited on tired at the same time! Maybe next year for that one! If any of you live near LFC, I highly suggest this as a fun family event for you to do with your little ones- they will love it! The next day we attended a great patriotic service at our church and then celebrated with my siblings and niece and nephews at Granddaddy and Grandmama's house with a cookout. The weekend was capped off that night when the whole family went swimming at LFC. The majority of the evening was spent with various family members performing stunts off the diving board. It was a great time and I only regret that I did not have my camera to take any pictures as there were some great ones! Especially my brother-in-law flipping while holding his nose and my 61 year old dad doing his one and a half that isn't quite a one and a half anymore!
Family shot

Walking the parade route
Eli rode most of the time standing up biting on an apple, of which he would then spit out. It was quite American and pretty funny.
Grnadmama and Granddaddy always dress the part!

Pizza Taken Poolside

2010-07-15T19:46:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love making homemade pizza. The whole process of making the dough from scratch, watching it rise and then creating layers of yumminess using delicious toppings to make a mouth-watering/take back things you never stole/slap yo momma piece of heaven from the oven is loads of fun for me. I use my late Aunt Cindi's recipe for the crust and I guess it's a bit nostalgic for me everytime I make it. I always loved it when she made homemade pizza for our family. Hers is still the best and I doubt I will ever make anything as good as she did, but that will not stop me from trying! Another reason I love making it is that it works well for Caleb too! The only adjustment in making Caleb his own dairy-free, egg-free pizza is that I have to use his special vegan cheese, of which they now have a pretty good brand- it melts! Since I have a beautiful basil plant growing on the back porch, this particular pizza was basically fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh garlic, olive oil and a blend of 6 Italian cheeses. How I wish I had a brick oven, but even so I was pretty pleased with the way this one came out of the oven!
Caleb enjoying his vegan pizza (although sometimes I will add sausage to his, but usually only if we have been able to purchase some from a local farmer).
You have to love a satisfied customer! Thanks babe for hanging with me despite that horrible broccoli cheese soup way back when!

And yet another satisfied customer!

And just for kicks, what makes for a better summer than being poolside watching your 3 year old jump off the same diving board you jumped off some 25 years ago! Talk about nostalgia!

He absolutely loves jumping off the diving board!

Newest Member of the Family

2010-07-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

My cousin Angela recently welcomed our newest family member into the world- Summer Dawn. She is beautiful! We just happened to be visiting for a family reunion when she went into labor and thankfully we had time to stop the hospital for a visit. Teeny tiny and just as pretty as can be! Proud Great Uncle Bill and Grandpa Flynn All like 5 pounds of sweetness!

Pretty mama

Surfside Beach Vacation

2010-07-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in seeing a few photos from our vacation to Surfside Beach, here ya go! We had a wonderful time relaxing, eating, hanging out and shopping. Things went really well except for poor Eli, who was on the last few days of an antibiotic for an ear infection in his right ear that apparently didn't want to clear up. Thankfully, I was able to take him to a clinic there and the pediatrician said both ears were "on fire." Poor little guy! He improved pretty quickly with a new antibiotic. It has taken us a while to get his sleep readjusted, but thankfully that has improved! Our vacation video

Raspberries, Oh Raspberries!

2010-07-13T13:59:00.001-07:00

My parents' vines were loaded again this year, and the raspberries were sooooo good! We ate a ton, froze quite a bit, made raspberry preserves and raspberry bars (allergen free of course). How nice that we were able to enjoy them fresh and then we will be able to enjoy them later as well!

Did you know per cup raspberries contain just 60 calories? They also are an excellent source of fiber- 8 grams per cup- and provide ~half of your daily need for Vitamin C and a good amount of manganese. So, here's to a cup of raspberries!Aren't they beautiful?
Second to my mom and myself, Caleb picked the most- 5 quarts his first night.
I just love looking at the vines!
Eli enjoyed them too!

Eli Turns One!

2010-07-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Eli's one year birthday with a party at our house. It was a great day for BBQ and trimmings and the perfect day for the Slip N Slide!

Party-goers relaxing outside
Uncle Luke lends a hand on the Slip N Slide
Rad takes one on his back

Caleb cruisin' on his side

Eli tries out the Slip N Slide

Eli enjoying his cake - which, along with the cupcakes the rest of us had, were dairy and egg free thanks to this recipe from The Food Allergy Momma! And seriously, one of the best icings I've ever made and it was also dairy and egg free!

Pictures from Mother's Day Take 2

2010-06-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

Just a few more pictures to share..... My lovely and talented sister-in-law who has blessed our family in so many ways!
The grandchild picture- mom's roses had really put on a show for the day and provided the perfect backdrop!

Caleb at the end of the day. He was barely able to keep his eyes open as Granddaddy helped him eat his Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream (which he absolutely loved). I think Granddaddy loved helping feed it to him just as much as Caleb loved eating it as this was Caleb's first time to have ice cream (I finally found a decent brand that met all of C's restrictions). My dad loves feeding babies and little kids and especially loves feeding them sweets like ice cream, something he had missed out on with C until now.

Grandmama with Ace at the end of the day- tired but still loving being a grandmother!

Pictures from Mother's Day

2010-06-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

So, my very talented brother-in-law helped us install our new computer (one he built for us which has more storage than we'll ever know what to do with) and it has been awesome! I, however, have had to learn to use a couple of new programs I wasn't previously familiar with. Anyway, I think I am now getting the hang of things, so here are some belated pictures from Mother's Day. I have to say, my dad was one awesome Granddaddy that day! It's so neat how my parents can be such a team! Dad really spent a lot of time watching the grandkids and playing with them and taking them on wagon rides. Just as my mom is a Super Mom, my dad is a Super Dad and a super Granddaddy! Eli's first wagon ride, on a wagon that must be at least 25 years old.
Mother and Daughter- I just love this picture as the family resemblance is so, so obvious! The Hinkson girls are beautiful! Kuddos to my sister for having the only granddaughter in our family! And for being such a terrific mom and sister!

Caleb wearing his helmet for the daredevil rides down the hill. I don't think the boy stopped the entire day until his head hit the pillow that night. He really didn't even stop to eat- he had a few chips here and there, but he was on GO the whole day. The boy has more drive and energy than anyone I have ever known.
Somebody has always got to sit on the bench.

My Mother's Day Breakfast- I have to say my husband is one of the most thoughtful, loving husband's a girl could have. He set all of this up of course but had Caleb act like he was doing it all. So, so very sweet! Thank you Jeremy for being the love of my life!

Mother's Day

2010-06-07T19:42:00.003-07:00

What does Mother's Day mean to you? I mean truly, for those of us who are mothers, it might be described as a somewhat self indulgent holiday. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we are celebrating a day because we are mothers- because we gave birth (or adopted children or for whatever reason became a mother to someone). Mother's Day for me, however, is not about me, totally, although I do love the fact that I have been blessed by having children. Being a mother has made me more rooted in the world, and I'm not talking about "the world," but the total cosmos. It's like I have been given a foothold in what it really is to be a part of something bigger than myself. The birthing process itself was an out of this world experience for me- both times. With Caleb (and the epidural) I felt as if I was totally surrounded by angels and it was almost as if they were singing to me throughout the entire process. With Eli (and no epidural, just the support of my husband and awesome nurses), I felt as if I was part of some orchestral masterpiece not only written by God, but also completely directed by Him. I felt in that moment as if I was totally were I was supposed to be. Granted, the pain was there, but there was purpose and understanding and comfort throughout. A friend of mine, Brandy, who had undergone natural childbirth before me and with whom I had shared my desire to pursue natural childbirth, had encouraged me with the words, "Katie, I'm not going to tell you it doesn't hurt because it does; but as soon as the baby is out, the pain is gone." So I held to that and she was so right! Anyway, I might blog about that later when I post about Eli's 1st birthday, but for now, back to Mother's Day. Well, my mother's day celebration couldn't have started out more perfect. My sweet husband and son fixed me breakfast in bed- a rare, rare treat! And on top of it all, I was able to share it with my son (it was Fruit Loops by the way!). I also received some beautiful cards delivered to me while in bed. We did not make it to church that day, as my mother-in-law had passed the previous day and we were all kind of worn out from that, so we spent the morning together as a family which was nice. My mother then prepared lunch for all of her children and grandchildren who live within driving distance (yes, we missed you Uncle Seth!) and also my brother-in-law Russ. Now, this gets me to my point about mother's day- MY MOM. Here it was, Mother's Day, and of all the females in the family, she has birthed the most babies and yet she is preparing the meal! She had determined in her mind that since my sister-in-law and I both have little ones and my sister was driving from Kentucky and we have such a large crowd that eating out is a hassle (especially on a holiday like Mother's Day), that it just made more sense for her to prepare the meal. So, on a day when she could have focused on herself, she was doing what it is that makes her who she is- the loving and giving mother that she is- by doing for others. And what a lovely day we all had. The food was delicious as usual and the company of course the best you could ask for. So thank you mom, for defining what Mother's Day is to all of us. You are the best of the best!

Bug Man

2010-06-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

We spotted a single, lone Cicada last month. Caleb was very interested in it and actually smiled when having his picture made holding it. One of the joys of being from Tennessee!

This and That - Playing Catch Up

2010-06-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Biscuits- my new favorite treat to make for Caleb and for the rest of us as they dairy and egg free, but you'd never know it! They are also suprisingly low in fat and moderate in calories, but again, you'd never know it!!
Wrestling with Daddy, a favorite pasttime of ours!

Eli's new crib- after one recall, two trips to Target and a whole day spent disassembling the old crib and then assembling the new crib.

The start of my parents garden- this was late April so more has been planted and much growth has occurred. These are green beans, of which I had the first taste today- two words: SUMMERTIME YUMMINESS. Updates coming soon!

Eli's loves to crawl into tight spaces and inspect the electrical outlets and electrical cords. We have made quite an obstacle course of most of the house to keep him safe from harm.

Remembering

2010-05-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

My dear mother-in-law passed away ~2 weeks ago. She had been battling a painful disease for over 4 years and on hospice for just a few months. It is easy for me to remember when she was diagnosed as it was the same day we found out we were pregnant with Caleb. Wonder of wonders! I remember talking to Jeremy on the phone that day and him telling me about her treatment and I thought to myself, "I'll take a pregnancy test just so I won't freak out if I have to be around radiation or chemo treatments." Surprise, surprise it was positive! I couldn't believe it! I remember going to work that day and thinking how excited I was but then also how sad at not knowing the future for Pat. I kept the news to myself all day- just a secret between me and God and of course the new life I was carrying inside me. Later that day as I headed from Memphis to Jackson to visit Pat, I called Jeremy and said, "Guess what?" I think he knew as soon as I uttered the words. Joy in the midst of sadness...Life in the midst of death...Relief in the midst of the unknown. I remember a few weeks later telling Jeremy's family as we all sat beside Pat in the hospital room- talk about timing! Pat was of course happy for us. How thrilled we were to be giving her a grandchild and how we hoped it would bring her joy.

I am so relieved that Pat is no longer in any discomfort or pain- she has experienced the ultimate healing. I am of course also very hopeful as I know I will see Pat again one day and that is most comforting to me. We shared a Christian faith and I know she is standing before our Lord. I am saddened, however, that her time with her grandchildren was cut short. Caleb loved her and Eli was of course growing to love her. She made them both beautiful baby blankets. She was very fond of reading Caleb stories and he loved, loved crawling up in her lap. He would use the lever on the side of her recliner to "boost" himself up so he could climb over the arm of the chair onto her lap. It was very sweet. One of their favorite stories was I Love You This Much. Pat taught him the motions to the story and I am so very glad I was able to capture it in photographs. As many of you know, Caleb is very rambunctious. He has been known to take a swing at several people. In the entire year Pat lived with us, however, he never attempted to hit her, which was something I was somewhat worried about. She was always so very gentle with him, however, and never seemed frustrated with him. In fact, the most I ever heard her get onto him was her telling him to leave her cane alone and this really only because we were all afraid he would use it to bang on someone or something around the house. He loved messing with her stuff! He especially loved going in her room and crawling up on her bed beside of her to "inspect" all her gadgets. He was particularly fond of the grabber she used to help put her socks on or retrieve far away items. I remember to how good she was with Eli. Even being in a frail physical state she would hold Eli and keep him entertained by dancing her fingers around, which he watched in fascination. She was a sweet, gentle and soft-spoken lady. Pat was also very generous in supplying me with plants. After she moved in with us, she drew me a map of her yard and labeled it for me to transplant some of her plants to my yard. She also shared plants with my mother who made the trek with me to Pat's house in Jackson. What a wonderful trip that was! I planted what I think is a beautiful hosta garden and planted many other flowers as well. I think if we are to work in heaven, Pat is lovingly tending to the growing things up there. Or perhaps if we have any need of adornment in the realm of clothing in heaven, she might perhaps be sewing or quilting. It brings a smile to my face to think of it!

An early Mother's Day Gift

2010-05-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

If I don't write this now, I am afraid I will forget it, so here it goes. Tonight I was able to put Eli to bed before Caleb- I think this might be the first time that has happened since Eli was born (almost a year ago). As of late, Caleb has not been napping, pushing his bedtime to sometime between 7 and 8. Today, however, wonder of wonders, he napped! So, Eli, not being the great napper today, was ready for bed earlier than his usual, which allowed me to have some alone time with Caleb. So, after allowing Caleb to watch a bit of TV and taking some time myself to check the computer (I am ashamed to say that, as I obviously was not appreciating the alone time with Caleb for the precious and rare gift that it is), Caleb asked for a snack. He requested those "O" shaped cereals (you have to picture him making an O with his fingers too- it's just a 3 year old thing!). Side note: Kroger had a special on Fruit Loops and I bought a box as a special treat. As a mother of a child with food allergies, there are soooo many things I have to restrict in C's diet - imagine, no M&M's, no ice cream, no cheese- well, regular cheese anyway, no Reese's eggs, no PB&J, no McDonald's french fries and the list goes on and on. So, for my child to be able to eat Fruit Loops, well, by golly I am going to allow him too! And again, wonder of wonders, Caleb ate all his supper (100% whole wheat pizza with vegan cheese, carrots and cooked apples- ah, there's the dietitian/mother in me!) tonight with a good attitude, so he was fully entitled to a snack. (Um, in our house, if you don't eat your food at your meal, you are not allowed to have a snack later- well, most of the time anyway!.) So back to the Fruit Loops. After telling Caleb that yes, since he ate a good supper he could have a snack and that the Fruit Loops sounded like such a great idea I thought I would have some too, we proceeded to the kitchen where I poured him a bowl. As I began to pour my own bowl Caleb said, "You can share some of mine." Had I heard right? Ah, the sweetness of it! My 3 year old, who loves Fruit Loops and rarely gets a bedtime snack, wants to share it with me- out of his own bowl! How sweet!! What mother would pass that up? I don't care if the boy had the stomach bug, I was definitely sharing that bowl of Fruit Loops with him!!! What an invitation!!! So we shared the yummy bowl and at my son's suggestion, had a second bowl. We played a little game of 'Guess what color the one that I just placed in your mouth is' (a game my mom played with me and my siblings when we were little, only I think we used M&M's and from what I remember, it was her way of eating our M&M's!). So after finishing our snack, we had to do our bedtime routine, which tonight included a book of Caleb's choosing. Wonder of wonders he dug out a book we haven't read in ages titled Let Me Hold You Longer, by Karen Kingsbury. Moms, if you have a son, this is a precious book! It is even more precious to me now having a second boy as I have realized how quickly time passes by and how quickly a child passes from baby to toddler to child (and I know preteen, teen, young adult and adult will quickly follow!). And not that I want to keep my babies as babies forever, but I do want to be fully present and appreciate each stage of their life, Lord willing! Well, in one part of the book the boy is in the car leaving for college and his parents are waving goodbye from the front door of his house and the dog is licking his face saying goodbye. So per his usual, Caleb begins to ask questions about where the boy is going and why the parents are doing what they are doing. When I tell him the boy is leaving for college, he of course asks "What's qwalidge?" I explain to him that it is somewhere you go to learn. After we discuss it for a minute I can sense a bit of apprehension in him and he asks, "Well, will you go with me?" Ohhhh, be still my heart.... I am not prepared to answer this- what do I say? So, as I have always thought, be honest and truthful. I reply, "Well, I can come and visit you." To which Caleb replies, "I don't want to go to qwalidge." I try to gently tell him that it is okay if he doesn't want to go, but that college is a good thing and that it's a fun thing to do and that he doesn't need to worry about it as you don't go to college until you are older. He then replies, "I don't ever want to go to college, I don't ever want to leave." I again try to reassure him and he says, "College is far away and I don't want to go far away." At this point I try to explain that not all colleges are far away, that he could in fact go to Vanderbilt (something my sister would no doubt fully support) which is right by where Daddy works and so we could see him all the time. I ask him if he knows what happened to me when I went away to college. When he asks, "What?" I reply, "I met your daddy at college and we fell in love." He seems a little bit reassured and asks if they have beds at college. He also asks if the dog is going with the boy to college. I explain that yes there are beds and no dogs are not allowed. We then finish the book and my mind is wondering, in 15 years, will you still be wanting me to go to college with you? I have to laugh, he probably won't even want me to go to orientation with him! He'll probably be unable to contain himself at the opportunity to fly from the roost! Then again, if he's still not wanting to go- what will my role be then? Hmmmmmmmm. For sure no one ever said parenting was easy. How thankful I am for my precious boy. I cannot believe he is 3! Each day brings new challenges, but also new and amazing joys. Thank you Lord for your gift- may I remember to cherish it!!!

2010-04-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

After Easter we traveled to Memphis to meet up with some NC friends. My good friend Randah was nice enough to let us have their extra hotel room for 2 nights. We were right across from the Peabody which was super cool! When Caleb looked out the window at all the buildings downtown, he said, "Look at all these castles!" We had a great time catching up with the Ferrells, eating good food and visiting the Memphis zoo. We even made is into Mississippi, so Jeremy and I are quite proud of ourselves for covering 3 states (KY, TN, MS) in 4 days with 2 small children in tow. Caleb and Eli both did fairly well traveling, although Eli was back to nursing during the night and Caleb had a couple of pee pee accidents. One of his accidents happened to be on Jeremy and when Carolee saw Jeremy's wet pants she said, "Jeremy needs a pull up!" Ha Ha! Both kids also had major meltdowns our last night. We were eating at Dale's in Mississippi and Eli grabbed a fork and then proceeded to scream bloody murder when I took it away from him. Caleb also had a meltdown after my hundredth time telling him to stop something or another (or was mommy having the meltdown?). In both instances I had to take each child outside for some one on one time. I know they were both just overtired and overstimulated- and probably hungry too, but you can't excuse bad behavior because of that! I think they were both glad to be back home in their own beds the next day after our long Easter weekend trip!

Caleb and Eli were both fast friends with Carolee.

Loving the Memphis zoo!

The pandas were amazing!

Caleb, Carolee and Charles Thomas

Randah and her pink "flamingo" hair! I love this girl!

What a way to take in the zoo!

Caleb became best buds with a pig at the restaurant waiting lobby! This was about 30 minutes before the meltdown!

Easter 2010

2010-04-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter spent at my sister's house in KY. There was wonderful playground fun, an awesome bowling-birthday party, lots of delicious food and of course just fun with the family!

Eli hamming it up with a doll in the nursery.

Glendale has a lovely playground and downtown area. We enjoyed a fun game of tag, which I hadn't played in years!

Caleb loved spending time with his cousins. I think he thinks Clark and Ethan are super-heroes.

Of course the Easter Egg Hunt was a hit! Too bad we had to trade out Caleb's chocolate candy for life-savers! He did find a "prize egg" which awarded him a $5 gift card to Chick-fil-A (he loves their fruit cups!). Thanks to Abby for helping him during the hunt!

Grandparents with their youngest grandsons.

Trouble

2010-04-11T20:38:00.001-07:00

"Yes Mommy, I took the wipes out of the container...

And it was FUN!"

Eli

2010-04-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Because the wearing of the first John Deere shirt is always picture worthy- nothing runs like a Deere!

Being fed by big brother...this was so cute. Caleb is such a great big brother and did such a good job feeding Eli. It was pretty funny to see him open his mouth wide when Eli should bite down on the spoon. Caleb is really sweet when trying to calm Eli down too. If I have to run out of the room Caleb will say to Eli in a very sweet voice, "Mommy will be back, it will be okay." or "You're alright." He did this without me prompting him to and when I first heard it my heart melted a bit.

Eli's growl face. He makes this face in more pictures than I can count.

Other things Eli is up to these days at 10 months old:

Said mama for the first time- repeatedly while we were on our Easter trip in Memphis, but has not said it again since we have been home.

Loves to crawl behind our bed where our alarm clock and lamp are plugged in. We block the opening with pillows and he has tried very hard to crawl over the pillows.

Pulls up to standing on almost anything.

Loves chasing after his big brother on all fours and will laugh if his brother is laughing.

Enjoys eating real food- including crackers, bananas, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes.

Still enjoys frequent nursing.

Had rather be held by someone than ride in his stroller.

Experienced the first real "melt down" of his life when we were at a restaurant late one evening with friends and I took a metal fork away from him. He arched his head and body back and had a fit in my arms. He acted like that for a few minutes and I finally had to take him outside to calm him down. As Rosemond would say, the little criminal has reared his true self!

Loves playing with toys and getting things out of containers.

Loves playing with pots and pans.

Overall, an incredibly lovable and fun baby!

Mom's Birthday

2010-04-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

For the second year in a row we celebrated Mom's birthday at Cock of the Walk. We had a great time- only Luke and the Hinkson clan were missing.

Caleb and Rad really love each other!

So do Jeremy and Seth! Or was it the food they were loving?

Eli is always so great when we go out- he just loves to watch what is going on around him. Hard to believe when we did this last year he was still growing inside me!

Mom always enjoys holding one of her grandchildren, but especially when they are little and it is her birthday celebration! Happy Birthday Mom! You are a blessed woman and we have all been blessed by your love and the attention you have bestowed on us! May God continue to bless you!

Pranksters

2010-03-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

These are some of the boys' latest tricks.

Caleb has been running and jumping and trying to side-click his heels. It is pretty funny to watch.

I have no idea if he knows how much his mama loves to do this as well (crazy I know, but I once saw this in a musical and have loved it ever since!). One of Eli's favorite places to play is the table in the living room. Most often he just crawls up to it and pulls on it or most recently, up on it to a standing position. The other day, however, he decided to attempt to climb over it. He did not quite succeed and the last picture is right before he broke down crying out of frustration. He did give it quite the effort!

"Look Mom, only one hand!"

We recently borrowed a high chair from one of my friends whose son has outgrown it (thank you Robyn, Eric and Ethan!). The high chair is for Eli as Caleb still needs to use the booster-chair we bought for him. But look who wound up using it? I bet if Eli started using bottles Caleb would have to check them out too.
Caleb helped me make breakfast the other day. We made the resurrection rolls I posted about earlier. He is such a good helper! He did great rolling the marshmallows in the butter and then sugar/cinnamon mixture. The rolls were actually pretty yummy (though terrible for you!) and a really neat way to illustrate our Savior's death and resurrection, although I don't know that it all made sense to Caleb.

Here's how they look out of the oven.

"I've gotten up, and I can't get down!"

Spiderman, Spiderman

And just for my own future reference, an awesome list of replacements with vegan cooking.

A visit with Mamaw

2010-03-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Mamaw and Uncle Russ came over this past week to celebrate Uncle Russ' 39th birthday. What a fun time we had! Daddy grilled out steaks and they were yummy! Caleb spent most of the night playing catch and chase and "the claw" with Uncle Russ. Eli managed to let Mamaw hold him for a few minutes, that is until he began to scratch at her face
(an attempt to get her glasses I think!).

Neat Easter Idea

2010-03-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Don't these seem like a neat and fun thing to do with your kids for Easter? And they sound so easy! Caleb's preschool is going to make them next week and the teachers asked me how they could do it so Caleb could participate (due to his allergies), and to my pleasant surprise it appears as if the only alteration needed will be to use dairy-free butter!!! How fun for him! I'm so glad he will be able to participate as he loves, loves to cook! Who knew crescent rolls were milk and egg free? We might make them for ourselves this next week.

Farmville friends

2010-03-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

We recently had a visit from our very close and wonderful friends from our old home in Farmville, NC- Hunter, Melissa and Bailey. It is hard to believe, but when we moved from NC Bailey was just a few days old. She is now almost 5 and such a little lady! She is one of the most mannerly children I have ever been around and so cute to boot! We had a great visit with them and are looking forward to hopefully visiting them soon for the Farmville Dogwood Festival.Caleb and BaileyBailey is very photogenic, my boys- not so much at the present!Such a cutie!Eli at Panera Bread

Jeremy and Caleb enjoying their Panera Bread fare (by the way, when you have
a child with food allergies, a fruit cup is always a good thing!)

My mom kept Caleb and Bailey to allow us adults (and Eli) a visit to Opryland Hotel. It was a great night!

Sometimes.....

2010-02-19T14:51:00.000-08:00

you're just all tuckered out. This was after enjoying a late lunch at Cracker Barrell- just the four of us. Jeremy and I were completely amazed at how well both boys behaved (well, Caleb particularly). We kept Caleb entertained with food and Eli seemed to love just watching and observing the people around us.What's for dinner? Eli has finally started eating more consistently. He obviously prefers vegetables over fruits as he makes the most hilarious face when offered fruits. I remember when Caleb would do this exact same thing and I thought it was just as funny then! I call it "smoking the spoon." Sometimes your older brother tries to make you look silly by putting a hat on your head.

Brothers

2010-02-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

The other day I tried to take some pictures of Caleb and Eli together as I had looked back on pictures taken when Eli was a newborn and I couldn't help but think how quickly the time had passed. I had no idea what a gag reel the pictures would turn out to be! They were a perfect and literal description of what transpires between these two!Lots and lots of love!

Too much love sometimes that you just have to try
and make an escape....

"What Mom? You're trying to take a picture of us?"
"You want me to use this block to get his attention?"

Oh, okay, here's a smile- no make that 2 smiles!

Now, please, may I have some peace?

Must.Get.Away.Now.

Seriously, more pictures?

"Love you Eli", "Love you Caleb"

That's my brother!

Cousins

2010-02-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

We recently enjoyed a visit at my mom's with my brother, his wife and their two boys Radnor and Ace. Radnor and Caleb are just 3 months apart so it is always interesting to see what they will be into when they get together. They are both the type to get into anything and everything and they have some of the most hilarious antics. Radnor does a wonderful Pants On the Ground solo as well as This Land is Your Land. While taking a break from supervising them, we were able to enjoy watching Eli crawl around and snuggle with sweet little Ace. Rad is quite the big brother and quite the loving cousin.

This little guy will just melt your heart.

Wonder of wonders that my kids look like they are BOTH on some kind of illegal substance.

There were many outtakes in trying to pose 4 boys ages 3, 8 months, 2 1/2 months and 3! Although Rad sort of does have a "Gap" type pose going on here.

My sister and her two boys came down from KY just the other day to attend the Vandy-UT basketball game. As there were only 3 tickets and my brother Luke was going, one of the twins had to stay with Grandmama. Ethan was kind enough to let his brother Clark go, which is a decision he no doubt later regretted as Grandmama stayed at our house after his mom and Clark left so they could hang out with Caleb. Caleb was perfectly beside himself over the visit of his cousins, so much so that he couldn't even take his nap after I told him they were coming. He chased poor Ethan all over the house and wouldn't let him 2 inches away from him. He did settle down a little when I put a movie on, but the boy thinks the world of his older cousins. I'm sure they would say he has a most interesting way of showing it, however, as he most often will jump on them, hit them and just basically pester them to death. Thanks guys for being such good sports- you truly are baby celebrities!

A moment's peace for Ethan.

Yummy!

2010-02-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

We just made these vegan Buckwheat pancakes and they were so good! We served them with bananas and maple syrup and they were just yummy! Next time I think I will add some ground flax seed since we are "no nuts." Jeremy even loved them and he isn't usually to crazy about the off-taste soy milk imparts on baked goods. Seeing that I have about 3#'s of buckwheat flour to use before it expires in March, we'll be making these again soon- several times in fact! I couldn't even take a picture because we didn't have any leftovers!

Potty-training

2010-02-02T17:03:00.001-08:00

Caleb has been doing exceptionally well the last day or so of his potty-training. He had ZERO poopy or pee pee accidents yesterday. He is still wearing a pull-up for naps and a diaper at night, but we are thrilled with his daytime success! We have been giving him life-savers for every successful trip to the potty, but that has now changed to just when he poops. Yesterday he must have pooped 4 or 5 times on the potty- a couple of 'big' ones and a couple of 'little' ones. His very last one was somewhat loose, so I just quickly flushed the toilet after wiping him off (Oh the joys of motherhood!). Anyway, after I flushed it he said, "Can you flush that back up? I didn't see it." I couldn't help but bust out laughing. I quickly explained that once it's flushed, it's flushed- THANK GOODNESS! He usually inspects what he has done in the potty after he is finished as I think he is still somewhat surprised by what happens- sort of like, "How'd that get there?" I have to say 3 is turning out to be a fun age!

Isn't he a cutie?

2010-02-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe this little guy is 8 months old already! Where does the time go? He has been crawling for about a month now and easily pulls himself to a sitting and/or kneeling position. He is a very content baby and manages to take his brother's pestering in stride without so much as a wimper (most of the time anyway!). He has some of the sweetest baby babbles! He does have a little bit of a temper. On occasion he has cried and arched his head and back as if to say, "Give me what I want and give it to me now!" Most often this is in regards to nursing or just wanting to be held by his mommy. He does not care for riding in his carseat for long periods. He is most content when down on the floor and free to do what we have termed "pooze toozing," meaning crawling about and stopping to investigate whatever may attract one's attention. At this point, his temperament seems to be very much like my brother Seth's. Seth is sooo very laid back but watch out if you make him mad! (For most of his younger years, Seth dealt with the daily pesterings of my oldest brother Josh and the daily naggings of my youngest brother Luke.) Caleb's temperament, on the other hand, has most reminded me of my brother Josh's (his aggressiveness and independent nature) and my brother Luke's (his being very particular). Neither temperament is any better, but in certain situations one is easier to deal with than the other. How wonderfully blessed Jeremy and I are with such great boys!

It's Snowing!

2010-01-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

We recently had some snow, so amidst all the school closings and mad grocery runs, we managed a trek out onto our cul-de-sac for some sledding. Caleb was having a wonderful time playing in the snow and sledding until I requested a picture with him after we sledded together. He wanted nothing of the sort! The picture was captured despite his protest, but afterward he threw himself to the side of the rode face down in the snow! Well, that ended the sledding for the day. He was happy to try again the next day although there wasn't enough snow left to be able to sled much.
Oh the anticipation! It was funny trying to convince Caleb of the need for layering one's clothing.

Angel-making anyone? Not enough snow to fall backwards onto the ground without giving yourself a concussion.Didn't really want to be in this picture either.Check out that snow outfit!

We checked, there were no sleds size 6-9 months.Bringing out the big guns! This was Jeremy's family's sled when he was growing up. Worked like a charm!Eli, "I am so over this snow thing."And they're off!The picture that ended it all!

Eating and Christmas- How could you have one without the other?

2010-01-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention on my last post that Eli started solids on Thanksgiving Day- Yay for food! Of course, we held back on offering him the turkey and sweet potatoes, but we did offer him some lovely rice cereal. We gave the first feeding privilege to my dad as he loves, loves feeding babies. I must say, he is quite good at it even though Eli was less than interested. I don't have any pictures from this to post as my brother did the honors and he has yet to send me copies. Here's a video taken a few weeks later. I think more ends up being spit out than actually ingested. And to be truthful, the amount consumed hasn't really improved! This has been a really huge difference between Caleb and Eli. Caleb took to food like crazy and absolutely loved it. He rarely refused food and would eat and eat and eat. Eli, on the other hand, takes just a couple of bites and readily lets you know he is done.

One of the great things about a 3 year old is they are really into events. Caleb loved seeing the decorations go up for Christmas and was more than thrilled to help decorate the Christmas tree. He thought it was a daily job, however, as he could not leave the tree alone! A week or so after it had been up, most of the lower third of the tree was void of ornaments as Caleb was continually moving them so Jeremy had to move them up to the top of the tree. Jeremy and I (and Eli) missed out on my family's Christmas celebration due to a horrible stomach bug. The bug bit Caleb (and several of his school classmates) a couple of days before we got it. Jeremy loves to share the fact that he knew he would get sick because the night Caleb got sick he threw up on Jeremy's face. Anyway, it was not a fun day for us but we were relieved that my mom took charge of Caleb for the day so he could have Christmas with them and open his presents but we sure did hate to miss sharing it with him and everyone else. I think his favorite gift was the oreo cookies my mom put in his stocking! Interesting note, my mom, dad and brother Luke all came down with the bug as well as Jeremy's mom. I felt like we were a germ mine! When Jeremy picked Caleb up the next day (my mom was wonderful enough to let Caleb spend the night with them, which is likely why she got sick) he couldn't wait to help us open our gifts. (I'll remind you I was just recovering from the sickness in these pictures!) He did the same for Pat and Russ when they came over to celebrate with us a couple of days later.

Christmas Day was a nice morning for us. Caleb woke us up early as usual. When he noticed the gifts under the tree he said something like "Who are the presents for?" I'm not against Santa or anything like that, but I have not pushed Caleb into believing anyone other than the person giving him the gift is responsible for giving it to him. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and lit a candle to celebrate (Caleb really associates birthdays with candles, so we thought it would be a good way for him to make the connection.) We then opened our gifts and then invited my parents and brother over to eat breakfast with us. Pre gift-openingA football! Jeremy knew just what to get Caleb- this was by far his favorite gift!Eli loved his new gift for his first Christmas so much he fell asleep in it!

Jeremy was quite pleased to eat lunch at my parents later that afternoon before he headed off to work. We had missed the good food from the family celebration due to our sickness (nothing tasted good then) so this more than made up for it!

Thanksgivivg 2009 and introducing Ace Robert

2010-01-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Thanksgiving! Seriously, I know Thanksgiving was technically last year, but can you believe the holidays are over? 2010 seemed to arrive in a rush! Just to recap, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my parents with most of the immediate family and many extended family (Brother Seth was in Argentina and Sister-in-law Karina had just given birth to our newest Walters, Ace Robert). We had much to be thankful for and our family share time was filled with gratitude to God for his abundant blessings and love and to each other for our togetherness. I wasn't able to take many pictures due to the great need to talk with cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.

Eli took a generous nap on cousin Emily which was a nice break for me!

The entire family (minus Seth, Karina and Ace), and Eli still napping on Miss Emily

Due to a terrible cough and head cold, I didn't manage to see Ace until the week or so after he was born. Seth had also arrived home and wanted to see him so we took Emily and Eli over to visit Big Brother Rad and his family!

Proud mama!

Isn't he adorable? And a true gift from God! If you can't tell, I love him!

Uncle Seth is quite crazy over him as well!

Caleb is 3!

2009-12-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the wonderful gift of Caleb's 3rd birthday in November. Hard to imagine it was just 3 years ago Caleb came into our lives and forever changed them. What a blessing he has been to us- he is truly a gift from God!

Caleb started the party day (actaully the day after his birthday) helping daddy rake leaves in our yard. What a blast!

We grilled hot dogs and had all the fixin's (allergy friendly of course!).
What a special treat that Miss Emily, our cousin from Raleigh got to join in on the festivities along with Uncle Luke and Uncle Josh.

Radnor's favorite part of the meal was yet to come- this boy loves some cake!

Uncle Russ helped daddy get the bonfire going in the backyard for roasting marshmallows.All set for wishes at 3!

Granddaddy and Caleb running his new toy train that Mamaw gave him. Choo Choo!

Grandparents are the best and give the best gifts!Mommy, Miss Emily, Grandmama and Aunt Karina (anxiously awaiting the birth of Ace- in just a little over another week!)

Fun in the Morning

2009-11-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

Caleb is our early riser and since the time change....well, Daddy could stand for some more sleep!

Waiting on solids

2009-10-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

Eli is very interested in watching others eat and seems to be wanting to participate in the dinner table activities. Just the other day he about did a back flip out of the Bumbo chair trying to grab onto the chocolate pie we were having for dessert (or was it the shiny foil that was covering it?).

See that pie there? They think it's out of my reach.

I'll show them!Reach, reach and........PULL!

Has it really been almost a month since I last blogged?

2009-10-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

What in the world have we been up to? It is fall in Tennessee, which is by far, in my opinion the south's best season! Cool weather and leaves turning are just heaven- it's what I wait all year for (well, that and Thanksgiving and Christmas!)! Both of my boys are just growing like crazy. Caleb will be turning 3 next month and Eli weighed just over 17 pounds at the MD today! We took him because I was concerned he might have an ear infection due to his biting (me, while nursing- can we say ouch?), pulling on his left ear like crazy and sporadic fussiness. No ear infection, but the MD said he has some major teeth eruptions going on. He was 4 months to the day when I saw his first 2 bottom teeth peeking through and now it seems as if he has a few more on the way- poor guy! He is soooo very interested in eating too, but we are waiting until he is closer to 6 months per advice from his MD to hopefully help prevent the development of any food allergies. And speaking of food allergies, we had some great news at the allergist office last week.... Caleb has apparently outgrown his oat and wheat allergy- YAY! I was waiting a few days to share because I wanted to try him at home with them first before fully believing it to be true. Now that he has been eating oat and wheat the past few days without any apparent worsening of his eczema I can allow myself the joy of believing it. It has made for much happiness around here the past few days. Caleb had his first sandwich (ham with vegannaise) and proceeded to request it for his next 3 meals. He also had his first real pizza (well crust anyway; I made it with just veggies- no cheese as rice cheese just doesn't quite cut it for pizza. But I guess Caleb was just so excited with the taste of the crust that he scraped all the veggies off and ate just the crust!). He also had his first hot dog ON A BUN! He loved it. I know, hot dogs aren't the best thing to feed your kid, but to make sure they are allergy friendly I buy the organic ones (can you believe they have organic hot dogs???) and serve them Carolina style with chili and slaw. And our chili was vegetarian too, so I mean this was practically health food (um, no, but I like to point out the positives!). The boy devoured his hot dog- it was so great to watch! And he has been talking about bread like it is a new friend. Really and truly not having to be wheat free has opened so many doors!!! It was kind of weird at the allergist office as the poor boy had about 30 scratches they did on his back. Which, to report on the bad part of the visit, Caleb tested positive for a number of environmental allergens (cat, dust mites, mold, etc.) and also tested positive to soybean, which had previously been negative. Soymilk has been a staple in our house so when we talked to the allergist about it he said, "Definitely go with experience. If he's eating soy without problems then that's fine." But, the allergist did really stress to us the seriousness of the nut and peanut allergy telling us of a patient of his who was college age who was very intelligent and aware about her peanut allergy but died from eating chili that she was unaware of contained peanut butter (the hidden ingredient). He said she felt her mouth burning from the chili but thought it was just "hot" and so she kept eating it and she died! Scary, scary. Makes me not feel too bad about my carefulness with Caleb and people who take care of him. I pray we don't ever face anything like that. Here are a few pictures to share.Don't you just love this shirt? One from my brother's collection! Love it!

Eli's new favorite toy- the exersaucer! Which we got for $10 at a consignment sale- I love a good deal and I love recycling used toys!

Caleb practicing his scary face.

Baby thug. Coming soon, Christmas baby thug.

Can't we just get some sleep around here?

Cuteness!

2009-09-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

A Tale of Two Videos

2009-09-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

Kids are soooooo funny! Caleb and Eli have brought so much joy into our lives- it is great how their hilariousness catches us off guard at times and right when we need it to boot. Caleb has just now started actually pronouncing the "L" sound. Anything with the "L" sound would previously sound like "Yu". (By the way, if anyone is a phonics person, sorry I don't know the correct pronunciation symbols- please feel free to leave the correct notations!) For instance, Caleb was prounounced Cayub, Love was Yuv, etc. It is somewhat sad to see that he has outgrown his babytalk, but life is always about change isn't it!

Laughing at Big Brother

2009-08-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Eli has been laughing for a few weeks now. My dad was the first to make him laugh which is no surprise as my day loves babies (he loves toddlers and big kids too, but he is really silly with babies). Anyway, the other day I was on the computer with Eli on the bed beside me and Caleb jumping all around the room (including the bed). All of a sudden I noticed Eli making a noise and upon paying a little closer attention, I realized he was laughing at his big brother as Caleb was falling on the bed. It was one of those moments where your heart goes "click" and you take an emotional picture (Angie Smith talks about this on her blog). So much came into my heart and mind at that moment. I realized just what it means for my boys to be brothers! Isn't it true that no one in the world can quite make you laugh like your siblings? Get my brothers and sister and myself together and there will definitely be laughter (occasionally disagreements, tears, put-downs, and other not so positive communication occurs, but we usually always laugh). My siblings have been making me laugh for most of my life now and I hope I have brought some laughter into their lives as well. Think about the history you share with your siblings. They, more than anyone else, have seen you- the real you. I have heard it said that sibling relationships are the longest relationships a person will have and when you think about how true that is, it really makes you appreciate your siblings and it also makes you desire to have good relationships with them. I am so very blessed in the sibling department. While my brothers and sister and I don't always see eye to eye, there are really few other people in the world I would trust as much as them. It is amazing to me to see that brother-brother relationship already emerging between Caleb and Eli with them still so little, but Eli already has the adoring eyes turned toward Caleb and Caleb has already taken on the somewhat rough big brother routine as well as caretaker with his younger brother. It was so funny to Jeremy and I the other day in the car when Caleb told us to stop talking because baby brother was asleep. I have also heard that people who have good sibling relationships tend to live longer. Sorry I have no source to credit this with, but it would make sense. If you can feel "connected" to something at an early age (a sibling) and that connectedness lasts throughout your lifetime, think how good that is for your general well-being. I pray and hope Caleb and Eli have a bright future to look forward to together as brothers.

First day of Mother's Day Out

2009-08-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is Caleb right before we left to take him to his first day of Mother's Day Out. He was not unhappy, just somewhat sullen and shy. As usual, we do things in a crazy way. Jeremy had to run out that morning to buy him a mat for nap time as when I had stopped at Target the day before, they were sold out (yes, I know, you shouldn't wait until the last minute to purchase these things, but honestly we had just signed him up for the program a few days ago! I've always been such a procrastinator!). Jeremy said he got the very last mat Wal-mart had and he also bought him a backpack- I had already taken care of the lunchbox. Spiderman was the only cool one they had for boys. What happened to Batman and Superman anyway? Not that I have anything against Spiderman, but that's just all they had.
So here's Caleb when we arrived at the church. He was in a much better mood and seemed excited about "school." We went inside and met his teacher and the program director who were both super nice. He only cried for a minute when we left. My biggest worry with Caleb going to Mother's Day Out is the fact that he might grab something from somebody else's lunch to eat that he is allergic to. So far that has not been a problem. Guess what Caleb carried in his lunch box? Cut up ham (allergen free), a bag of grapes and cup up cucumber, 2 allergen free cookies, a small bag of Lays potato chips and an apple juice box. Wonder how many 2 year olds carry cucumbers in their lunch box? The only thing Caleb said about school was that he had to go out in the hallway. Of course, Jeremy and I are immediately wondering if we have the troublemaker child, but then we also thought that he was a little young to be punished by being "sent to the hall." We found out on his second day of school from his teacher that yes, he had indeed had to go out to the hall, but it was during naptime and not because he was in trouble, but because he was kicking the wall (I guess that's not a punishable offense yet) and would not settle down and go to sleep. And his teacher did accompany him and she said he went right to sleep when he laid down on his mat in the hallway.
Here's Eli loving some tummy time! It's so great to see him becoming such a little person and showing such interest in the world around him! He is getting so very big too. Hard to believe he is almost 3 months! He has shown some patches of eczema, but his pediatrician isn't overly concerned- just encouraged lotioning twice a day and steroid cream as needed.

Trip to NC

2009-08-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

My mom, sister, Eli and myself recently attended my cousin Ben's wedding in NC. It was a beautiful wedding and a very fun trip for all of us. We were able to see numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. We didn't take Caleb with us as it would not have made for a fun trip for him (be still baby, no whining Caleb, stop Caleb, don't touch Caleb, etc.), so he spent the night with Granddaddy on Friday night as Jeremy had to work and then spent Saturday with Jeremy. Granddaddy said he and Caleb had a good time- they took a 3 hour nap that afternoon but then Caleb didn't go to bed until 11 that night. I believe he was up at his usual 6 am the next morning! He and Jeremy then went to the zoo on Saturday and church on Sunday. No pictures from their weekend as I had the camera, so here's a look at what momma and Eli were up to.My Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Buzz who hosted us for the weekend

My cousin Anna and her adorable son Asher

Eli after a good night's sleep

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Beam

My mom and her sisters and sister-in-law

My cousin Mandie (the maid of honor)

Eli was not shy of attention!

My sister and cousins

What a great girls weekend!

Eli on the way home- we had both been missing Caleb and Daddy too!

This Ain't My Momma!

2009-08-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

We like to do laundry and we like to play

2009-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

For some reason Caleb really enjoys folding washcloths and burp cloths. He starts folding them before I can even sit the basket down. It is so funny, but he actually does a really good job! Wonder what he'll think of laundry in 10 years or so?

Eli is such a sweet baby. He loves to be around people and is usually quite content if he has a human face to look at nearby. Caleb enjoys bringing him toys and stuffed animals and gives him plenty of wet kisses right on the mouth.

Zoo time

2009-07-25T12:08:00.001-07:00

We managed a family trip to the zoo and had a great time! The weather was perfect- hot but not too hot. Eli slept most of the time and Caleb's favorite part by far was the Jungle Gym, not the animals! Jeremy had a hard time keeping up with him.

Here we go!Eli enjoying a break at our stop for lunch.

Man to man talk.

Thank goodness for juice boxes!

Crazy fun!

Caleb's cheesey smile!

Do I really have to stop for another picture?

Cousin Radnor wasn't with us, but this guy beside Caleb sure did look like him from behind.

Typical Caleb if you can catch him when he doesn't know you're taking the picture.

Summer fun with Caleb

2009-07-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here's Caleb working on his bike along with Uncle Luke. My brother, ever the entrepreneur and money maker, has recently taken on the hobby of buying motorcycles at auctions.

I'm not sure if my brother had to coax Caleb into working on his own bike to keep him from messing with his bike or if Caleb started working on his bike on his own. Either way it was so cute to see his activities! He really likes to do big boy things.New toys for a cool summer day. Doesn't Caleb's drawing look like the earth?

Caleb helping Jeremy take down the crib and move it in our room for Eli- he loves to be busy with his daddy!After moving the crib and moving Caleb's big boy bed into his room, it was naptime! I couldn't believe it - no fuss about going to bed. He was either really tired from all his work or just relieved to have his new bed.

Antics of the Jenkins Boys

2009-07-19T15:04:00.001-07:00

What happens when you leave your 2 1/2 year old to himself for just a minute when you receive a phone call? He pulls the bottom oven drawer open, stands on it so he can reach the salt shaker and dumps salt all over the stove, kitchen cabinets and kitchen floor. Seriously, I am still feeling grit under my feet when I'm in the kitchen and I have vacuumed, swept and mopped!

Some fun smiles with Eli after his bath.

What happens at night when you brush your teeth after putting your 2 1/2 year old to bed? He quietly goes into your guest bedroom where he finds a marker (blue, permanent I might add) and in the couple of minutes you are taking care of personal hygiene, he draws all over the sheets and pillows. After I brushed my teeth I thought to myself, "I'd better check on Mr. Caleb because things seemed too quiet after he (supposedly) went to bed." Well, upon looking in his bedroom and seeing his bed empty, I panicked thinking, "Oh no, he's somehow figured out the deadbolts and gone outside!" I immediately began calling Caleb's name and to my relief he answered, "I'm in here." The pictures below, along with Caleb sitting in the middle of the bed holding the marker, are what greeted me when I went into the guest bedroom. Anyone know how to remove permanent marker from sheets?

Eli's not to sure about this toy we borrowed from my brother and sister-in-law. It may take some time for it to grow on him!

What you do when you're 2 1/2

2009-07-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Caleb loves Eli's car seat (borrowed from my brother and his wife). He has to buckle the harness when he sees it empty and today he tried (successfully I might add) to sit in it.
He will also occasionally pick up Eli's paci and stick it in his mouth as you can see in the above picture. Thankfully he hasn't seemed to want to pick that habit back up again, but it is just funny the things they do. Poor Eli doesn't want anything to do with his poor paci. Leave it to Caleb to see that it gets some love.
After Caleb sat in the car seat for a while it then proceeded to throw him out when he tried to get out of it.

2009-07-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

We have enjoyed a few days at the pool these last couple of weeks. It has been kind of annoying though to deal with skin issues. 2 of the days we were at the pool Caleb just scratched and scratched at areas under his arms and on his belly. The chlorine just does not seem to be any good for his skin, which is not encouraging considering the heat of the summer and Caleb's love for the water! The joys of eczema! Hopefully his skin will adjust or we may have to look at daily steroid treatments or avoid the pool! Little Eli was not overjoyed to have his feet stuck in the cold water, so no worries about him getting wet in the pool this summer. He did enjoy having me nurse him while under the sun and at least he did get a little Vitamin D therapy!

Bath time has greatly improved! Eli really seemed to enjoy his last bath. It is amazing how much babies change in just the course of a few weeks. He is 6 weeks old today!

Here we are having breakfast on the patio, which is great because it saves me from having to clean up the mess Caleb always makes on the floor!

Watch out, they come fully loaded!

2009-06-29T04:22:00.000-07:00

So good morning. I'm up early because about 4:30 this am when I changed Eli's diaper he decided to shoot poop out like a machine gun. It went all over me and all over the bed. And I had just washed our sheets on Saturday. Fun, huh? He's shot out poop a couple of times before mid diaper change, but was yet to hit me. I remember thinking when I washed our bedspread (due to his poopage), "Well, at least it wasn't on you or the carpet." Now that he's hit me, I'm wondering how long our carpet will be safe! I'm at least washable and pretty much stain proof, but our carpet on the other hand (which we just had replaced a few months ago- I know, smart considering we have 2 little boys under 3), is not! Oh well, nothing like a sh_tastrophe as Jeremy likes to call them!
On a positive note, because I was up so early I was able to shower (YAY!) and remove the poop from myself, cook a batch of crepes from batter I had made on Saturday that had been refrigerating and have a much needed chat with the hubster. Funny how things can somehow work out for the best. By the way this picture is not from this morning. After cleaning up the poop mess on the bed, which Eli managed to sleep through, I nursed him and he drifted off to never, neverland- where he still is and why I was able to complete this post. I have now been joined by my beloved 2 year old- he's up and smiling! I love my boys!

Rewind

2009-06-22T08:05:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? Oh, I forgot, we had a lot going on the last week of May. First of all, we had a birthday celebration with my family and then dessert and a family baby shower for Eli afterwards at my parents' house. The birthday celebration was largely for my mother turning 60 in March and my dad who will be turning 60 in September. We had a ton of fun that night! We received some really cute dressy outfits, bibs, toys and a carseat and handmade baby quilt (made by Mam-maw) for Eli.
We then had a joint graduation party/birthday party for Jeremy and Mam-maw the next day. It was a great turnout with a ton of family and friends attending. The weather was perfect so we all got to chill and eat outside. The following Monday Jeremy and his brother Russ moved Mam-maw to Uncle Russ' new house to make room at our house for baby Eli, who decided to come a lot earlier than his momma expected as he arrived that Wednesday (hence the late posting of this blog!). We definitely like to pack a full calendar! With Eli's arrival, Jeremy and I missed the other big events that were scheduled- namely his review course, hooding ceremony and graduation ceremony. We still have yet to receive his diploma, but we are looking forward to its arrival to make his finishing school seem real.

2009-06-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

We managed to meet up with some good friends from Memphis. Kat and I used to work together at St. Francis and she and her husband have the most adorable son Griffin who is 9 months old. It was so fun to be out with both boys and play catch up!Caleb and I recently made some allergen-free blueberry muffins using a mix from The Cravings Place- they were so good! Caleb wanted to eat the batter and then later must have had at least 10 mini muffins. I had a good number myself, but I figure he rarely gets a treat like that (that actually tastes really good) and I'm breastfeeding, so a splurge is okay!

My trickster!

2009-06-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is not the most pleasant thing to see, but I had to post because I know my brother Seth will be interested. Eli's finger finally came off this past Tuesday or Wednesday (I can't remember which day exactly). The doctor tied it off at his first checkup and said it would probably take 4-5 days to fall off- uh, that would be a NO. It took like 8 or 9 days. It was looking pretty nasty the few days prior to it falling off and was oozing some yellow crusty stuff around the base. I think it was bothering him too, because anytime you rubbed against it he would grimace or cry. So, we are very thankful it finally came off and is now just a small scabbed area. Caleb was quite interested in his brother's finger, as were numerous other family members. The first few days after it had been tied off it began turning gray with the small nail part turning black. Caleb affectionately said while looking at his brother one day, "What's that pea doing?" He couldn't have described it more perfectly as Eli's finger did look like a black-eyed pea!No extra finger in this picture!

Eli also had his first bath, which he did not seem to enjoy! Hopefully next bath will be more enjoyable!We had the great privelege of celebrating my sister's 36th birthday with her and her kids! And how wonderful that Eli was in on the celebration as it was his first time to meet his KY family.Sister, you don't look a day over 18, if that!And last but not least, my handsome doozer who is 2 1/2!

Family Visits

2009-06-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Aunt Karina

Cousin Radnor

Having a good stretch!

Uncle Seth

Uncle Russ

Mam-maw

Gotta love it!

2009-06-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe my last blog was just a week ago- the day before Eli arrived! I'll post more about that later but for now just wanted to share these pictures and videos. You have to wait until the very end of the 2nd video for Eli's precious smile! Caleb is doing wonderfully well with baby brother and this morning I had one of the sweetest times of my life! For about the last month Caleb has been getting up around 6am and coming into my and Jeremy's room and crawling up in between us into what he called his "hole." He'd snuggle in between us and fall back asleep for another 30 minutes or so or start talking about what he wanted for supper (he still doesn't have his meals straight!). I treasured these times because I knew in a short while with Eli's arrival things would change- I didn't know exactly how things would change, just that things would be different with a newborn. Since bringing Eli home things have definitely changed, but Caleb has continued to wake up around 6 and run into our room. Since Eli has been sleeping with us at night, I wasn't sure how Caleb would handle it but he has been so sweet! He usually asks, "Where's baby brother?" Then he gives Eli a kiss and this morning for the first time he snuggled in beside of Eli and we all went back to sleep- so, so sweet and so wonderful to have those precious moments together.

Favorite Things

2009-05-26T16:41:00.001-07:00

Caleb loves to play with blocks and games. This particular day he used the Jenga blocks to build a railroad track. He is a huge fan of Thomas the Train, but not of real trains in particular. When we were visiting my sister in Glendale, KY and ate at the famous "Whittle Top" (Whistle Stop actually), we timed it perfectly to arrive and park right when the train came down the track. Caleb was fascinated at first, but then became completely frightened. We were close enough to the train to feel the vibrations, so it was somewhat understandable. He later played on a somewhat real looking model train that did not move. By the way, the food at the Whistle Stop is great if you are ever out that way and make a stop off on your way to Louisville. I strongly suggest the Blackberry Cobbler.

Another things Caleb loves to do is work outside with his daddy, especially if it involves the water hose. He completely soaked himself this particular day when they washed my car.

Funny Videos

2009-05-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

These are a couple of recent videos of Caleb that I thought were pretty cute. I love that he really smiles for himself when taking his picture in the first one. And the second one is just so funny- the boy ate his dumplins like he hadn't eaten anything in days! He is such a country boy- which is very understandable considering how his momma sounds on the video! I hate my voice- I am such a hick! Not that I want to sound like I'm from New York or anything like that, but I am just so country! I'm blaming it on the fact that I was born in NC, raised in TN, lived in NC after getting married for a few years, moved to Memphis, TN and lived there for a couple years before finally returning to my hometown in TN. I should have spent sometime in Europe- maybe then I wouldn't speak sooo verrry verrry sllllooowwww.

Counting

2009-05-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Pets, Park and Last Day of School!

2009-05-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Caleb was thrilled to find some new pets outside. He absolutely loved the catepillars! I think he had about 5 crawling on him at one time. He also found an inch worm which he let crawl on him.

Grandmama found this cute little turtle while walking and saved it for Caleb. When Jeremy asked him what he wanted to name it, Caleb promptly replied, "We'll call him Doozer." Hilarious to us because Doozer has been Caleb's nickname since he was a newborn. We released the turtle a few days after hanging out with us. We thought it needed to be in the wild.It was so beautiful and warm the last week of April that we took Caleb to the playground for a picnic. He had a blast getting to play on the slide and other equipment.Going down the slide was not enough for Caleb. Pretty soon he figured out how to climb back up. We were pretty impressed at his determination!
Please excuse my apparel; I'm somewhere around 36 weeks, so if it fits, it will have to do! Plus, it was hotter than expected. I couldn't resist a picture with my little man though!

Eating on the run as time allowed!

Caleb had started telling Jeremy he wanted to go to work with him and since Jeremy had to wear a tie on rotation at the hospital, Caleb also had to wear a tie. It was hilarious! It was sad too, of course, because Jeremy couldn't take Caleb and once Caleb had his shoes on, he really thought he was going to go with Jeremy.

Jeremy's last day of rotation for pharmacy school! Yahoo! Caleb and I are so proud of him. We celebrated by going out to the Cheesecake Factory while my mom and brother kept Caleb. We had a great time and the food was fantastic! He now has the month of May off with graduation on May 29, which just so happens to be little Eli's due date. Actually, he is not off per se as I have a honey-do list for him a mile long and he also has to study for boards. Nevertheless, Caleb and I will enjoy having him home for a few days before baby brother arrives!

Easter 2009

2009-05-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great time spending the week before Easter in Glendale, KY with my sister and her family. Caleb enjoyed his first Easter Egg Hunt and playing on the playground at their church. He also loved tormenting his cousins with requests to "go down-tairs" and play with their toys.

Starting a Walters Family Tradition early

2009-03-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Caleb decided to try on my V-neck T-shirt for size. While it was obviously too big, it is never to early to pass on family traditions. My dad, mom, brother Luke and myself are all about the white V-neck T-shirt. Dad and Luke came over yesterday to help us move some furniture as we are to have new carpet installed on Saturday. What were they wearing? The white V-neck and so was I! If you've never tried one, you're missing out as they are much "cooler" in the literal and figurative sense than the regular T-shirts.

Smoothies, Happy Birthday Cake and More!

2009-03-19T09:32:00.001-07:00

Caleb recently had his first smoothie, which he loved! I made it with soy milk, frozen blueberries (picked this past summer from my parents' bushes) and frozen apples (also picked this past summer from my parents' trees). The fruit was so sweet I didn't have to add any sugar. I was even surprised at how good it was!My baby brother Luke recently had his 26th birthday celebration. Caleb for some reason doesn't say "Happy Birthday!" instead he says "Happy Birthday Cake!" He was so excited that he got to blow out the candles. I was a little concerned about him being that close to nuts, but Uncle Luke paid careful attention to his safety.
I made Caleb his first wheat, dairy, egg-free pizza to have for Uncle Luke's birthday as that was what the rest of us were having (only with wheat, dairy and whatever else!). As per his usual excited self with others around, he was much too busy to really pay attention to the pizza, but he enjoyed it for lunch the next day!
Caleb and I made allergy free muffins the other day using a recipe posted on Martha Stewart's website. He loved helping put in the muffin liners just about as much as he loved eating the muffins!
Caleb loves spending time with his Mamaw- she is so good to read him stories and fix his stuffed animals when they accidentally hurt themselves by pulling a seam. And this is Caleb's newest smile to pose for pictures. Can anyone say "cheese?"
Our latest treat using Enjoy life allergy-free chocolate chips- Chocolate covered popcorn! Another winner for Caleb (Mommy and Daddy too!).On my last post I mentioned that Caleb would count and often say, "Let's start with one." Well, now he says, "Let's start with twenty." He isn't able to correctly count from 20 by himself, but he loves to repeat after me or Jeremy. Funny the things kids say! One of the sweetest things Caleb has been doing lately is kissing my belly and loving on baby brother. He will say with prompting, "I love you Eli" as we have finally decided on the name Elijah Henry but are pretty sure we will call him Eli. Caleb of course pronounces it E-Yi (with a long I). He should really be given credit for the name as when we would ask him between either Silas or Elijah, he would most often choose Elijah.

Coloring fun

2009-03-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

One of Caleb's favorite activities is coloring. Here he and his daddy pose for a brief shot. I said "smile" and for the first time ever Caleb looked at the camera and well I guess he did what he would call a smile, but it was really more of a squint and smirk. This boy is so funny! At night now before he goes to bed and after we have said "Goodnight prayers" he asks to count. He then says, "Let's start at one." It is so funny!!!

First Popcorn and Favorite Books

2009-03-03T18:45:00.001-08:00

Caleb recently had his first taste of popcorn. I was somewhat apprehensive about letting him have any because sometimes he stuffs food in his mouth and with popcorn this poses an even greater choking risk. Caleb is now more attentive to being given instructions, so with careful supervision from his daddy, they shared the treat. Caleb, along with his daddy, loved it! He wanted more and asked for popcorn the next day.
In other news in Jenkins land, Caleb has recently taken to new reading material. No, it's not the latest Dr. Seuss or Disney book, but rather a catalog we received in the mail from Toys R Us. He asked me to read it to him for his bedtime story 3 or 4 nights in a row. Imagine, my child is learning that the big beautiful playset is "$100 off" and other various toys are "20% off" or "$8 off." For some reason this was just hilarious to me. And trust me, it is not for lack of books that Caleb would take to a catalog. He has more books than any other child I know his age thanks to his cousins- in fact, we don't even have them all out due to lack of room. I love this age with him even though there is the obvious "Terrible Two's" in there as well. He makes us laugh all the time!

Have you ever played "2 Flashlights?"

2009-02-25T11:54:00.000-08:00

Not very long ago Jeremy was doing some work around the house and needed a flashlight. Lo and behold you would have thought it was Christmas in February at our house! Caleb thought the flashlight was the neatest and greatest thing. He begged to hold the flashlight and finally Jeremy had to retrieve a second one. Since then Caleb has learned to ask for the flashlight, (uh, more like order myself or Jeremy to get him a flashlight) with the words, "Get the fashyight Mommy/Daddy." If not immediately satisfied, he will then say, "Get two fashyights Mommy/Daddy." He and Jeremy have now made it into a game, which we call playing "2 Flashlights." The game simply involves going into a darkened room and shining the flashlight under various pieces of furniture to hunt for lost toys, books, clothing, etc. or just up on the wall for various entertainment purposes. I cannot tell you the number of times I have laughed at them playing their game. It is great! I know most adults would probably find this play a waste of time, but what a blessing it is that Jeremy is so willing to invest the time in playing with his son- what a great Dad!

Caleb Jumping

2009-02-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Caleb finds various ways to amuse himself when I am on the computer. This is usually right within eyesight as our computer sits by the bed. As you can tell from the video, I must have just put away some clothes because Caleb made excellent use of the empty clothes basket. Pardon the messy room, but I think the little acrobat is pretty funny.

Ode to a Paci

2009-02-20T07:07:00.000-08:00

Oh Happy Day!

We've seen better days!

Well, we did it. We bit the bullet and took the paci away. Caleb has lost his best friend, TV watching companion, bedtime buddy and overall comfort giver. It's been a rough couple of days in the sleep department- nighttime and nap time, but it had to be done! I really was not in any hurry to take the paci away as I figured when Spring hit and we were able to play outside, Caleb would just naturally and gradually lose interest in it. I also wanted to wait and make the change from the crib to a big boy bed with paci on board to ease that transistion. Alas, however, his lips had become so chapped that it developed into eczema around his whole mouth and the paci was just making it worse. Caleb continues to ask for paci and I have repeatedly told him, "Paci is gone, paci made your mouth itch worse so we had to take it away." He now tells me, "Paci made mouth itch, paci gone," but he has continued to ask for paci, especially at naptime and bedtime. He even asks for a specific paci as identified by color- white paci or blue paci. I don't know how many more days we'll have of this, but I figure it won't last forever!

So paci, here's to you!

So long,
farewell
We hate to say goodbye
But truth be told
the time was drawing near
You've been a dear
and we'll miss you for awhile
Especially mommy's missed sleep-
you were such a jewel to help us through each night
But soon
you'll return
we're quite sure
with baby brother to come on board
until then, may you rest comfortably
in the aisles of Target and Wal Mart
Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye

Love, Caleb

In the kitchen and changing hair

2009-02-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

Caleb loves to use "peppa". Notice his fluffy, long hairstyle too.

This is right after Caleb's bad haircut. As you can see, I accidentily hit his right side with the clippers while his left side remained a normal (while fuzzy) length.

Here Caleb is after the second clipping where I was able to match his left side to his right while Jeremy held him still. He now has one of those 80's do's.

Happy 2nd Birthday Caleb!

2009-02-06T18:45:00.001-08:00

So we celebrated Caleb's 2nd Birthday a few months ago, but because of the break we took from blogging I am just now posting pictures. It was a wonderful party with lots of family present. Caleb even enjoyed an allergy free cake thanks to Cherrybrook Kitchen cake mixes! Mom and Dad hosted the party at their place as I didn't have the energy to get everything ready myself (due to fabulous pregnancy hormones!). Caleb received some wonderful gifts too and had a blast opening them.A pre-party game of tissue paper toss.

This is fun!

Radnor shares his skills with a saw.

The lifetime Tennessee Hunting and Fishing License, courtesy of Granddaddy.

Some crazy party-goers.
This is for me?

Let's blow out the candle, not burn ourselves!Happy Birthday Caleb!

If there's a cake, you can count on Granddaddy being close by!

Happy Halloween

2009-01-08T06:12:00.000-08:00

So Caleb was Bob the Builder for Halloween. I didn't buy him a pre-designed costume because they just looked so cheap. Plus, Caleb's cousin had already loaned him a cute checkered shirt (from my favorite children's store Janie and Jack!) and a pair of overalls that would do the trick and were way cuter anyway! Thinking of Halloween, however, with a child allergic to milk, wheat, eggs, oats, nuts (as we just recently found out from Caleb's 2 year check up with his allergist) and likely peanuts isn't really a whole lot of fun. Taking him trick or treating would mean that Jeremy and I would most likely have to eat the candy (yeah, HAVE TO) and that just seemed kind of cruel. So we did what seemed the easiest and most logical, we trick or treated at Grandmama's and Grandmama's only because she had allergen free cookies for Caleb's treat. Caleb seemed to enjoy it although he would not wear his Bob the Builder hat, which I did actually splurge on Ebay for. So here he is at our stop at Grandmama's.
Since we're on the subject of food allergies, let me just take a moment to share some of what I have learned being a food allergy mom. In my previous 7 years as a dietitian I had little and I mean little experience with food allergies and the education dietitian's receive related to the topic is little at best, from what I remember. The one instance I remember having a patient who had a food allergy was on a weekend at the hospital when I just happened to be the dietitian on call. So I receive this call from our diet clerk, "Hey, we've got a lady here allergic to wheat. What do you want me to send her for her dinner?" My response, "Well, what did you serve for dinner?" After several back and forth conversations including one with the diet clerk reading me off the ingredients to the cottage cheese and a conversation with the patient herself in addition to a consult with a previous food textbook, we sent her a cottage cheese fruit plate- no muffins, no crackers. If the diet clerk had called and said to me, "We have a patient here allergic to milk, eggs, wheat, oats and nuts," I have no idea what I would have done! Likely the patient would have received plain, raw fruit and vegetables. The problem with food allergies, especially those like wheat and milk, is that other foods you do not traditionally associate with those food may in fact contain them and food labels and ingredient lists are not always clear on what is actually in the food. Casein (milk), for example and ingredients derived from wheat may be found in lunch meat, but they are not always specifically stated. Plus, the ingredients "natural flavors" may include ingredients derived from milk. So, as a food allergy mom, I have become an even more thorough food label reader and have even called food manufactures to be sure a product was free of Caleb's allergens. Cooking at home and taking food for Caleb when we eat out or visit other's people's homes has become a way of life for us. I am thankful that I enjoy cooking and have an interest in knowing about cooking (i.e. what purpose certain ingredients serve in specific recipes), because some of the products I use to bake for Caleb are of course different than just your regular baking ingredients. And how truly thankful I am that Caleb is such a terrific eater! I don't know many 2 year olds that love cole slaw and squash and ask for seconds on those foods, but he does. He loves all different kinds of vegetables and fruits and really and truly doesn't act that interested in sweets, which was one of my big concerns in having a child with food allergies. My mother made him a delicious fruit cobbler (yeah, wheat, dairy, egg, oat, nut free if you can believe it), which he thoroughly enjoyed his first bowl of (pictured below), but then was not interested in the next day.
Jeremy and I wound up finishing it for him, and believe me, it was delicious (thank you Bob's Red Mill biscuit and baking mix and pancake mix- both which are wheat, oat, dairy and egg free- and thank you Mom for being able to cook allergy free for him!). Which reminds me of how completely and totally thankful I am for the convenience items he can consume that seem to make his eating a little more normal and make meal preparation a little easier for me. While they are sometimes difficult to find and often pricier, these items are great! Since Caleb is allergic to both wheat and oats, most of these items are gluten free, so I somewhat feel like I know what the person with Celiac disease must go through. Anyway, having lived for a year avoiding Caleb's food allergens, if I ever return to work I will be much better equipped at working with people who suffer from them. Here is a picture of some of our favorite "convenience" food items that meet Caleb's allergen list.

Break from Blogging.....

2009-01-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

So, we've been away for a while with a break from blogging but alas, we have returned! There were several reasons for the break which I will list just for my own sake.
1. Broke the camera and something just doesn't seem right about blogging without pictures- who would care to listen to my narrative (excuse the present!)?
2. Procrastinated, but finally bought a new camera but then could not get the software to work correctly on the computer to download pictures. Problem recently fixed! Thank you Jeremy.
3. Found out baby #2 was on the way and amidst the nausea and vomiting, found out I needed to spend Caleb's nap time napping myself (there goes the previous designated blogging time). It is amazing how much time I could spend sleeping being preggers!
4. Joined Facebook and my need for communication with the outside world was solved with the break from blogging! By the way, if you're not on Facebook take the time to join and get in touch with all those long lost high school cronies, college roomies and the like.
5. One word: HOLIDAYS! Thanksgiving and Christmas were great! We spent a lot of time with family and friends, including relatives from NC which was wonderful. They were busy, nonetheless, and with the increased amount of cooking I did combined with the increased need for sleep, not much time was left for blogging! Not to mention time required to shop. Thankfully, I had already purchased many of my gifts, so I didn't really have any last minute purchases to make.
6. Jeremy had the month of December off from rotations and so we just spent some time chillin' as a family. I don't think Caleb knew much what to do with both of us here, but I think he enjoyed getting to see his daddy everyday for more than just a few hours. Jeremy and I also managed to get away for a couple of days just the two of us to Gatlinburg. Believe it or not, it was my first overnighter away from Caleb. He stayed with Grandmama and Granddaddy and had a wonderful time, as did we! Jeremy unfortunately returns to his rotations today, however, I really think he is glad to be returning to something productive. Plus, he can see now that the end of school is in sight! Just a few rotations left and then graduation the end of May, which just also happens to be when the baby is due. We like to plan big events simultaneously!
Here we are today, trying to turn life into some sense of normalcy- Jeremy's back to school, I'm ~21 weeks pregnant and Caleb is amusing us everyday. How exciting that a new year has begun and new beginnings are all around us! I'll probably post some pictures from the past few months in my next blog.

Zoo time

2008-09-19T11:25:00.001-07:00

Caleb had his first trip to the Nashville Zoo yesterday. He loved it! His favorite parts seemed to be the petting zoo, the alligators, the big rocks along the path he could climb on and the freedom we allowed him to walk instead of sit in the stroller. We must have seen 75% of the stay-at-home moms who live in Nashville there with their kids. It was the land of strollers, Baby Bjorns, sippy cups and sweet faces.

The giraffes seemed to be getting a little frisky. A little boy turned to his momma and said, "Momma, what are they doing?" Without skipping a beat, the momma replied, "They're hugging."

Caleb loves "wocks"

Caleb spent a lot of time at the alligator exhibit. Later, we found out one reason was because he had some business to take care of that required some concentration and an environment of relaxation.

"Al-e-gay-tor"

Caleb has observed us move a number of "wocks" around our yard, so he logically thinks anytime he sees a rock, it is his job to move it. Or, at least attempt to move it.

These goats were either 100 years old or had been given some major downers.

Cute, cute kid. No pun intended.This was Caleb's favorite stance to take with the goats- drop down face to face and look them right in the eye. Then, maybe point in their face and say something bossy, however unintelligible to humans and by their resopnse, also unintelligible to goats.

Merely emerging from the Meerkat viewing tower.

Coming out of the bamboo forest.Prior to exiting, we had to purchase a stuffed animal as Grandma requested that Caleb pick one out "on her". He chose this cute Tiger and immediately upon rescuing it from the gift shop, he had to feed his hungry little tiger some mulch. Seriously, the kid loves animals- real or stuffed!

Remembering

2008-08-24T19:04:00.001-07:00

Okay, so no new pictures because we broke the camera.... I'm sorry, I broke the camera. Anyway, I thought I'd go back and post some old pictures just for memories sake. I just can't believe Caleb's almost 2! And I can't believe Jeremy is in his last year of pharmacy school- Yay!!!. It's funny, when you start out on something new it just seems like the "end" is forever away but in reality it gets here a lot quicker than you expected. And when the end does finally arrive, you realize you're now at the start of something new. That's the perfect way to describe pregnancy. Those 9 months seem like forever and well, when the "end" arrives, you realize the real work has begun! These are some pictures my brother took when Caleb was 6 months old.

In the one above, Caleb so reminds me of the Rugrats Baby.

The Trinity, Parts 2 and 3

2008-08-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I blogged about our pastor Rob Morgan's first sermon in his series on the Trinity. He has continued the series with Parts 2 and 3 the previous two Sundays. Pastor Morgan resumed his discussion from the previous week with Part 2. His premise for the sermon noted that as we are created by and in the image of the Triune God, we are created for communion, fellowship, communication and community. He talked about how the Trinity is revealed progressively in scripture, which is quite obvious if you think about it, but something I had never thought much about previously. He noted that the doctrine of the Trinity is implicit in the Old Testament (not stated plainly). He referred to these scriptures as "Us" passages (Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:6-7 and Isaiah 6:8) and also noted scriptural references to "interesting Triads" (Isaiah 6 and Numbers 6:24-26). He also noted in Isaiah 61 that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct. His sermon continued by noting how the doctrine of the Trinity is more fully revealed in the New Testament. Scriptural references included the Baptism of Christ (where all three are present and distinct: Father, Son and Holy Spirit), The Great Commission, John 14:15 and 1 Peter 1:1-2. Pastor Morgan concluded Part 2 by referring to his initial point that we are created for communion, fellowship, communication and community with other people and with God as seen through the communion, fellowship, communication and community that is seen in the Trinity. This is readily noted in John 16:32, when Jesus is about to be deserted by his disciples but He says he will not be alone for My Father is with Me. WOW! What a revelation to me- I don't know why this struck me so excitedly, as I have read and heard this scripture numerous time before, but to think that there is such community, communication and belonging amongst God. I mean I know somewhere previously that the thought ran through my brain that there is a relationship between God the Father and God the Son, but this time and even now it is sitting there- being weighed between the neurons. Sometimes it seems that we can hear scripture over and over and not really pay attention, but this time and even more so now, I feel like it is sinking into my bones. He also referred to 2 Timothy 4:16 & 17 where Paul is imprisoned in Rome and has been deserted by his friends but states the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength. WOW again. Pastor Morgan also noted that there was only one moment when the communication lines within the Trinity where shutdown- do you know that moment? It brought tears to my eyes thinking of it as Pastor Morgan talked about it, because it made me realize just how much God loves me. It was on the cross when Jesus took upon the sins that separate us all from God and He was therfore separated from God Himself..... do you remember His cry..... My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Pastor Morgan stated it this way, "It was as if He had to unplug Himself to plug us in."

If you have read this and I have confused you or you just can't understand my ramblings, please read or view the sermons

I had hoped to post about Part 3 as well but a review of Part 2 was enough for me for tonight.

Fruits of the labor, Psalm 128:2

2008-08-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

This has been a great year to start gardening, according to my parents anyway, as this has been my and Jeremy's first year to do anything besides flowers and herbs. This is just some of the variety of stuff we've harvested. The peaches are from two 3-year old trees Mom gave Dad for Father's day and they have been loaded down, literally so much so that one of the major branches broke (so unfortunately Dad said they wouldn't be this bountiful next year). We've made peach butter and preach freezer jam and we're planning to can some when they ripen up a little more. Yum yum, delicious!My nephew Radnor is turning 2 this week and his party was this past Saturday. Caleb thought it was a blast getting to play with someone else's toys and Radnor obviously enjoyed the chainsaw cake his mother made. It was finger-licking good. What a cutie- Happy Birthday Rad!

Baby Shower Cake

2008-08-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

This is a cake I made for my friend Kat's baby shower. She is due next month and is having a baby boy and they are naming him Griffin. I was overall pretty pleased with the end result as far as taste and presentation, but I need to work on my icing and decorating skills. I wish I had been able to smooth the sides better and I wish I had rounded out the beading around the top and bottom layers of the cake. Actually, I wish I had just asked my sister-in-law Karina to decorate it- her cakes are so cute and so much more professional looking than mine! She did offer me a great tip on smoothing out the beading, so I'll use that next time. The shower was really fun and I got to meet some of Kat's friends that live around this area. Kat got lots of cute gifts for the baby too and we played a great game of "Name that baby food." Congratulations Kat and Andrew!

The Trinity

2008-08-04T15:56:00.001-07:00

Our pastor Rob Morgan (of The Donelson Fellowship) has begun a series on the Trinity, which is something I have always believed, but my understanding of it has always been poor to say the least. It is one of those things I would find difficult to articulate or explain to someone. For lack of better teaching, or perhaps for lack of better comprehension on my part, I have thought of the Trinity as God in 3 persons as I am one person but I am a granddaughter, sister and cousin (therefore God is one God, but has the role of Father, Son and Holy Spirit). For some reason, however, that analogy has never completely set well with me- it was far too simplistic. Pastor Morgan did present this in fact to be false and his sermon was by far the best I have ever heard related to the subject. He basically made three points which I will state briefly:
1. The Trinity is the Most Unique Aspect of Christian Truth
2. The Trinity is Easy to State
There is One God who eternally exists in Three Persons- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. The Trinity is Impossible to Understand

You definitely don't get the benefit of the whole sermon here as the meat of it was in his discussion, but I am hoping to entice those of you interested or curious on the subject to read or view the sermon from the following links. I think you will find it worthy of your time and effort. Even those of you not Baptist might enjoy it! I am hoping part of his discussion in future sermons in this series will shed light on the relationship among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as another reason this subject is so intriguing to me is because I read The Shack last month and while the book is controversial to some, for me it opened up a whole new understanding of the Trinity.

Here is a link to read it and then also one to view it

Caleb's artwork

2008-08-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

Caleb has started coloring this past week so I wanted to post a couple of his "drawings." We actually bought him the bigger, triangular shaped crayons and they are much easier for him to use than the skinny round ones. I was really excited when he colored these because he did them completely by himself. I didn't even have to start him on the page as I had on previous attempts. He is so funny because he is good for one drawing and as much as I try to get him to do a second one, he's like, "Mom, one was enough, be happy and let me down now." And he likes to use every color at least once, which I think is good for some reason. On another note, I was recently left in charge of my parent's garden, of which Jeremy and I have a small section of that contains corn, peas, green beans, squash and cucumbers. Well the week my parents were gone and I was in charge was quite the harvest week- for both our garden and my parents. Thankfully Pat is here with us and she has shelled so many peas I am sure she is quite tired of them (although she shelled some more tonight). Well, anyway, I had so many cucumbers they were overtaking our kitchen so I decided to try pickling them. I have previously made and canned peach butter with the help of my mom, but I was nervous to try something on my own. It was a pretty involved process, though not one of those recipes that takes days and days. The end result was 16 pints of bread and butter pickles and a kitchen that smelled of vinegar and strong spices. We haven't tried the pickles yet, so our fingers are crossed that it wasn't a huge waste of time. After the pickles I decided to try relish because I found a great deal on red peppers and onions at the local Kroger. We've actually opened a can of it and while it's okay, it is nothing compared to what my mom and aunts have previously made and shared with me. Now, after saying all of that, let me take a moment to say to my mom, my sister and my aunts and my friend's parents (James and Mary Cox), thank you for all of your previous gifts in the form of home-canned foods. While I enjoyed them all, I was clueless to the time and effort involved in making them. Any future gifts will be treated as the treasures they truly are.

Konnichiwa?

2008-07-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

One of the few Japanese words I remember from our trip to Japan a few years ago is the general greeting Konnichiwa (pronounced Koh NEE chewah), meaning good afternoon. Well, it seems Caleb has decided to speak Japanese or some other foreign language as opposed to learning his parents native tongue of good ole' American Southern English. We're not complaining, however, because we're just glad he is finally saying something!! He might be saying "birthday" in this video because we had just hung up the Happy Birthday sign for celebrating Jeremy's birthday and I'm sure I was saying something about Daddy's birthday, but I couldn't tell you anything else about his ramblings.

Happy 5th of July!

2008-07-10T07:25:00.001-07:00

So we're those crazy people who didn't get any 4th of July plans together early enough that anybody could come, so we had to move our plans to the 5th of July. We had a cookout and invited some friends and family over. The kids got to try out Caleb's new sandbox and play on his little playground set. We were also planning on getting out Caleb's pool but somehow we adults just forgot(oops Allie, I'm so sorry, but we'll do it next time!) . Everybody was kind enough to bring a dish to share (yummy- good tea, good pasta salad, good beans and good dessert) and Jeremy did a great job on the grill (except for the two hot dogs he forgot- a little charred as I had requested turned into a thick, crispy black coat). The kids were hilarious to watch and we really look forward to doing it again- hopefully we can have something better set up for bug control next time. Some of my pictures turned out very fuzzy, so they weren't worth posting and so not everyone is pictured. The Wakefields- Eric, Ethan (26 months) and Robyn

Radnor (23 months) and Brian (~396 months)Allie-girl (almost 4 years old!)Caleb (20 months), who decided he had to eat on the run so as not to lose time
playing. He carried his hamburger patty around taking huge bites here and there. Everything was going well with the "eating on the run" routine until
Caleb ended up on the same end of the playset as his cousin Radnor.

Radnor saw Caleb's plan and thought to himself, "I must get in on some of this action of

eating and playing at the same time," and with that the burger quickly changed hands.
Ethan showing off his great smile and enjoying some time on the swing.
One of the funniest things was keeping the kids drinks separate, which proved most difficult concerning Caleb and Radnor as they both love to eat and drink (and Caleb is also allergic to milk). Here poor Allie looks on as Radnor finishes her juice box. She was such a good sport about it though! She even shared her fruit with both Caleb and Radnor. What a sweet girl!

Family Reunion

2008-07-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I recently attended a family reunion with my parents. Jeremy and the rest of the gang had to work! It was great to see all of the family and spend time catching up with them.

Cousin Stella and her daddy Matthew (my first cousin). She is just 2 weeks
older than Caleb and what a doll! She has the cutest hip shake!
She will soon be a big sister too!

Caleb and Stella hanging out in the hammock. Thank goodness there are no
pictures of me in the hammock with Caleb- we about tipped over!

Trying for a posed picture with Stella and Caleb... even after his
much needed 2 1/2 hour nap that Grandmama was very
strategic in achieving, the boy was still not into posing.

Granddaddy, Caleb, Papaw and Mommy

Caleb wanted both of his grandparents hands when we stopped at the rest area.

Caleb sharing his rice cake with his lion in the car-
after all lions get hungry too and it was a long ride!

Good Friends, Good Times

2008-06-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

We recently got together with one of my college friends and roommates. We had a great time and their little girl Allie is so cute! She knew about Caleb's food allergies and so she asked me if he could have pretzels. When I told her he couldn't because he's allergic to the wheat in them, she then asked if he could have yogurt. I again had to say he couldn't have it because he's allergice to milk. She was so sweet to be concerned for Caleb!The Wells

How our lives have changed from those carefree college days!

Fun in the Sun

2008-06-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

My mother recently kept 3 of her other grandchildren for a week. We took them all swimming at the Lake and Caleb had a blast.

Caleb climbed up on his float like he was an experienced rafter. Thank goodness
my nephew Ethan was there to keep an eye on him!

Caleb acting like he's one of the big kids.

My wonderful niece Abby.

Jeremy thinking he's on the lazy river ride.

Double Trouble

Scared of water? Uh, that would be a No.

I'm a fish!

Really, I'm a fish!

Nobody was really into a group shot, least of all Caleb!

Life is Random

2008-06-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here is some random stuff we've had going on.

#1. These are my tomatoes. Great huh? This is a type of cherry tomato plant especially meant for container gardening. We have so much shade around our house that I didn't think I could do very well with regular tomato plants, (even though I did finally decide to set out 2 regular tomato plants around our patio where some some sun does come through during part of the day just to see what would happen). Anyway, the exciting thing about this plant is if you can see, there are actually 2 tomatoes on it!!! They are tiny, but they are there!

#2. Here are some of my other gardening projects.

Herbalicious!

My prize-winning clematis. Okay, I can say that because I had absolutely NOTHING to do with this beautiful vine- except I did not cut it down when it was all brown and ugly. Previous homeowners planted it and we are just enoying the fruit of their labor.

My hosta garden. I think I have ~10 different varieties of hostas in this little garden, plus a fern and heuchera. Some of the hostas are miniature and they are so cute! I have my dear mother-in-law to thank for this patch of plants. This is the second time she has supplied me with hostas for a garden. The previous one we left in Farmville for the new homeowners of our old house to enjoy. Oh, the most fun in making this garden was moving all the rocks - if you live in Wilson County, TN, you better learn to be creative with rocks!

Our front porch garden. The only thing in the front of our house in terms of landscaping when we first moved in was a couple of dead bushes that didn't survive the drought from last year, some crazy scraggly trees, a deep hole that gave evidence of a previous living something with big roots and a TON, TON of weeds. Some hardwork, a couple of big loads of dirt, some help from my dad and my mother-in-law's nursery of a yard really helped to transform it! Plus, quite a few trips to Lowe's to purchase some azaleas, rhododendrons and other plants (with my aunts help!). The work isn't quite complete, but we are happy with our progress so far.

#3. Here is my youngest brother Luke's only partially finished (thankfully) haircut.

Any ladies looking for a man from the 80's? Seriously, the haircut looked good when it was finished- minus the mullet and all and he even trimmed his beard!

Last, but definitely not least, some of Caleb and his daddy having a good time.

What's the lion say? "Aaaaa!"

What's the lion say (2nd time)? "RRRRRRoar!"

Caleb and the floor had an unfortunate meeting...... and the floor won. All Caleb was left with was a nice busted lip and a scraped up nose.

Caleb and his daddy doing their best Elvis impersonations with Caleb's busted lip.

I Love You This Much

2008-06-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of Caleb's favorite books for Grandma to read to him. As you can see in the pictures, Grandma taught him the physical expression of "this much" as in "this is how much I love you." It was so cute watching them together and Caleb always has such a great time with Grandma reading to him and teaching him new things. Believe it or not, she is the one who taught him how to roar like a lion!

Happy 69th Birthday Grandma!

2008-06-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Grandma's Birthday last week with a cookout at our house. Uncle Russ and Aunt Shonna came and so did my parents. Since the weather was nice we decided to eat on the deck. Caleb had his first steak and loved it! Later we had cake and ice cream inside and it was so funny because when we were singing Happy Birthday to Pat, Caleb just smiled like we were all singing to him.

The Birthday Girl and Jeremy

My dad loves to feed little kids; towards the end of the
meal he had Caleb feeding himself, which was hilarious!

Notice how Caleb is just such a charmer with his Aunt

Shonna around?

Ear of Corn Anyone?

2008-06-08T19:28:00.001-07:00

Caleb had corn on the cob for the first time a few weeks ago and he absolutely loved it! We were amazed at the way he devoured it. The mess was huge of course, but well worth it!