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  • April27th

    Birthday Boy!

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Parenthood

    Today my sweet little Caleb is two years old! I cannot believe that two years ago today I was holding him for the first time. He was born at 3:43 in the morning after over twenty hours of labor followed by a c-section, but he was worth every second of it. He was such a beautiful baby; every once in a while he does something that reminds me of the baby he used to be. I miss that baby, but this little boy is pretty fun too.

    Now he is the most active toddler that you can imagine; he runs all over the house playing with toys or dancing to music. Occasionally he can no longer contain the huge burst of energy bubbling inside of him, so he just erupts in loud yells or laughter. He did this yesterday at Chick-fil-a; everyone thought it was funny that he was so excited to eat lunch.

    He loves to show off how good he is at jumping. Anytime he feels that he might have an audience he gives us a little jumping show. He also likes to throw his body on the floor with complete abandon; it’s almost a game to see in what strange position he will end up. This game scares his momma a little bit.

    It has been so much fun to watch him learn to talk. He calls himself “Cay-bee,” and can say anything now. His favorite sayings are “Cool, dude,” “Go, Billy, Go,” and “Oh, man!”

    He also loves music. He sings all kinds of songs, some made up and some real. He amazes me at the songs he picks up. The other day he started singing part of the song, “Purify My Heart.” It’s been weeks since we had sung that song, but he was singing, “to be holy.” Now he can sing, “I choo to be holy, se apa for you my mater;” yes, it’s precious. The words aren’t always right, but the tune is exact. A few weeks ago, he started singing the “Happy Birthday Song;” we couldn’t figure out where he had heard it because we hadn’t been singing it. Then I remembered that one night when he was in his bedroom playing, one of us had sung it in the kitchen as a joke. A few days later the song was still floating around in his head. He also likes to sing the Jack Johnson song, “People Watching.” He asks for “moosih” all the time. If a song ends in the car, he starts asking for more before the next song starts.

    His other favorite thing right now is Curious George. One of our friends got him a Curious George book for his birthday last year. It is his favorite book to read. The Easter Bunny brought him the Curious George movie this year, and he asks to watch “George” every day. It is so funny to watch him watch the movie, because every time he acts like it is his first time to see the movie. He always says “Oh, no!” when George gets into trouble. Maybe he feels like he has a lot in common with George.

    We are so blessed to have this little boy in our lives. I can’t imagine how we lived without him. He is the most precious blessing God has given us. Thank you, God, for Caleb!

  • February18th

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    For those of you who may find yourselves attempting to converse with a toddler in the near future, here are Caleb’s translations of our own English words and names:

    Ma-ma = “Momma”
    Da-da = “Daddy”
    Be-ew = “Boo”
    Da-dad = “Granddad”
    A-na = “Allan”
    In-cee = “Lindsay”
    Bi-bee = “Billy”
    Popsh = “Pops”
    mmmoh = “more”
    peeez = “please”
    gee (hard “g”) = “again” and, sometimes, “read”
    sosh-osh = “sorry”
    caow = “car”
    hep = “help”
    a-duh = “all done” or “all gone”
    jooz = “juice”
    da = “up” or “down,” depending on the circumstance
    hosh-osh = “hungry”
    soosh = “shoes”
    baw = “ball”
    tsit = “sit” (he yells this at Boo)
    Bie-boo = “Bible”
    Ga = “God”
    Amen! = “Amen” (He loves to yell this at the end of a prayer, as if he is thrilled that “being quiet” time is over.)
    no-no-no-no = “I’m not supposed to be doing whatever I am doing at this moment, but I’m hoping that if I communicate to you that I realize I am not supposed to do this, then you won’t realize that I am actually doing it.”

  • December18th

    Wake Up, Momma!

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Parenthood, Spiritual

    Caleb2I woke up the other morning to find that a toddler has moved into our house! One night I put my sweet baby to bed, and he woke up the next day a very active and very independent little boy. It really happened so fast. It seems like it was just the other day that we were teaching him to play patty cake, and now he’s climbing on the coffee table, turning on his own DVD’s, and rolling his eyes when I give him instructions (I’m not kidding)! He is still, of course, a very sweet little boy, but he has the energy of a pack of monkeys.

    So . . . I’ve been reading a lot of parenting books lately, some good, some not so good. I’m realizing that this is not easy and that it is a full-time job. I can’t just raise this kid on the side while I pursue other interests. He has made it clear that this is going to take everything I have.

    This is the greatest responsibility that God has ever given me. I’m not just supposed to feed and clothe this child for the next eighteen years, and I’m not just supposed to teach him to be a nice guy. Somehow I have to teach this little boy to love the LORD with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, to submit his strong will to the God that created it, and to use the days of his life to serve the King of Kings. Wow, what an overwhelming task! It is something that I want to take seriously because I realize that, even now, the clock is ticking; a time is coming when I will no longer have the influence over this little soul that I have today.

    So . . . I have been and will be saying a lot of prayers. I’m asking God to bless Casey and me with wisdom, to bless our little boy with a soft, tender heart, a heart that is turned toward Him, and to give us the energy and patience to fulfill this task in a way that glorifies Him.

  • September26th

    Caleb’s First Masterpiece

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Home Life & Family

    Caleb's ArtworkCaleb recently created his first masterpiece with his new crayons.

    His new favorite past time is talking on the “phone.” He uses anything from a remote control to a teddy graham as a telephone and walks around the house talking to his imaginary friends. Sometimes he even laughs as if they have told a joke. Here’s a video of him talking on the phone.

    Don’t worry, Billy. I haven’t forgotten about you.

  • August15th

    The Walking Man

    Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family

    Just over the past week Caleb has really started walking ALL OVER the place. It’s amazing to see him get better and better at it everyday. Maybe I’m just biased because I’m his dad, but he already seem pretty coordinated. (Can someone say pro athlete?)

    We put together this cute video for everyone, so enjoy! Just click the picture or the link below…

    » Watch the Video

  • July25th

    One Step at a Time

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Home Life & Family

    Caleb is a late walker; he’s almost fifteen months old, and he has just decided that he is interested in taking some steps. He comes by it naturally though; his Granddad was also a late walker, so I’m told, and he turned out to be a brilliant physician, so we’re not too worried.
    Caleb became more interested in walking when my parents were at our house last weekend. He really likes to perform in front of a big crowd; evidently one cheering mommy does not compare to a roomful of relatives. Click below to watch a video of him taking a few steps.

    » Watch the Video

  • May2nd

    Caleb with his CakeOn Saturday, we celebrated Caleb’s 1st birthday with a party at a nearby park. We had about 30 of our close friends and family come to wish him a Happy Birthday.

    My dad cooked lots of hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone to enjoy, and Mary Beth made an amazing Lion birthday cake that Caleb loved digging into.

    It was really funny watching him eat cake for the first time. He didn’t immediately dig into it like I thought he would, but instead he delicately picked some icing off the top with his fingers before grabbing bigger and bigger handfuls.

    The party was a lot of fun, and it was great to spend some time with friends and family at the park. It’s still hard for me to believe that my little boy is already one year old. It seems like just the other day that I was holding him for the first time in the delivery room. Time really does fly…

    My prayer for Caleb is that he will become a man who seeks after God with all of his heart. I want him to know God intimately and personally. I hope that he will someday grasp how “wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

    » See more photos from the party