Jeep Ride

I don't usually post 2x in one day, but someone sent me these pics, so I thought I'd add them to the blog. No, Caleb is not auditioning for Twilight movie #4. (This is actually his summer tan!?!) It's from our Brothers Keepers group tonight! I'm pretty sure the highlight of the night (yes, even better than the cupcake with sprinkles) was the "manual" jeep ride that Nick Jackson gave the kids. It's not a stick shift. Nick was pushing the thing around the yard with 3 kids in it! No wonder Caleb never made it in to play video games. He is always asking if we can ride them in Toys R'Us, but I think this was just as good, maybe even better! Thanks, Nick!

Initiation into boyhood

At Brothers Keepers group tonight, Caleb had a small meltdown when it was time to leave because he didn't get to play a video game. In hopes of making it out to the car without having to get Joe, I told him maybe Daddy would let him play a video game at home. At first, Joe wasn't too enthused with the idea, but we talked about a way to make him "think" he was playing. Joe actually found a setting called "family play", which is on a little kid level. Caleb actually picked it up pretty fast and was playing on his own after about 5 minutes. He played a until halftime (which he thought was the end of the game), and won by 2 touchdowns! I got some pics, but I will have to upload them from on the other computer. He is now officially a boy, no longer a toddler.
On a side note, on the way to church I asked him what he thought Heaven would be like. At first he said, "I don't know", but with further prompting, he told me we would be in the clouds. And that we would have to go by the house first and get our clothes packed in suitcases, because they don't have clothes up there. And we could take some toys to play with too. Hey, sounds good to me!

Light at the end of the tunnel

Caleb's fever finally broke today. It's possible it broke last night. I have been using a total of 4 different thermometers: ear, temporal artery, and 2 digital ones. They all give me different readings. But I think the battery is going out on one digital, plus since Caleb can't keep it under his tongue, those are really invalid. So I kept up with the other 2 and just used them both. I figured anything above 98.6/99 was a fever. Then I finally found the instructions for the artery one, and apparently there are different temps that are normal for different areas. I guess up to 100.something is normal for the artery, so maybe he never really had fever today. He played cars all afternoon, but since he still has the congestion and intestinal issues, we may keep him home from Sun AM church, so as not to expose all the kids in his class. Although I am pretty sure they have all had it by now! He did go to Walmart with Joe this afternoon... yeah, we don't care if we infect Walmart goers, but Bible class is different. Besides, they might figure out who they got sick from there! He has been taking Tylenol, Motrin, and Mucinex. He has decided he doesn't like the Mucinex. Don't know why I attempted to give it to him over the carpet, where I had a vision it would somehow end up there. He tries to bargain with us about which ones to take; "No, I think I'll just have the red one tonight.", etc. After 10 minutes of trying to explain the reason he has to have the purple, insisting he stay in his seat until he drinks it, talking about all the bad things that will happen if he doesn't take it, telling him that the doctor said he had to, etc, Joe finally offered 2 Robin Eggs (malt balls) if he will just drink it. Done. The kid will do anything for dessert. I didn't know dessert-loving was an inherited gene, but he totally gets that from me. I actually got a lot done today: posted items on Craigslist, organized the garage, worked out, cleaned the summer swim stuff to get it ready for storage, hung curtains (which have near been the death of me, have tried to hang them for a week), read my Bible and prayed, ran a load of laundry, snuggled with both boys (at different times), and started dinner (Joe had to finish as it was Levi's dinner time). Too bad I didn't have time for a shower.... put it on tomorrow's list. Ahh. I love the feeling of accomplishment. We are just so glad he is better... and that we made it through without antibiotics (so far, he has never had any in his almost 4 years). This was the first time he ever threw up, so we have that little milestone out of the way. Thank goodness it was only once and Joe was here... cleaning up that mess is not my forte.

Sick day # 5

August 27, 2010
Caleb has had a fever now for 5 days. His little eyes are so bloodshot, and he is so congested. He called me "Bob" today, for mom. I do think we are on the mend though... he has attempted to eat several meals today. So far, Levi has not caught it, but he has sneezed several times today... we are praying he will come through unscathed. Even though Caleb feels so crummy, he still asks "What are we going to do tomorrow?" and wants to go to the park and the Library. Levi still won't take very good naps, but he did sleep in the bed with me from about 6:30 - 9:45 this morning! Maybe that is why... since he was in bed from 7:30 - 6am, then breakfast, and in bed for another 3 hours.... hmmm.... He had a bath today, which he needed, since he always smells like sour milk. He doesn't seem to mind the smell though. He can be so grumpy, crying even, but then I put him on the changing table and he just lights up with smiles and giggles. He loves to be there, weird. But it makes diaper changes a lot of fun. He does so good going to bed. I can feed him, swaddle him (which wakes him up), and go lay him in his bed and tell him night-night (After a kiss and a prayer), and he will go right to sleep. It is fabulous. They are both SO precious to me. I worked for 1.5 hours today, and I will get another 2 hours of work next week. I figured out how I might be able to work for about 2 hours (3-4 days per week) and keep us afloat financially until Joe gets a job or the apartments come through. So that is exciting. I am just going to wait until Sept 7-10 to see if I really have to or not, since she wants me to commit until about Dec if she gives me those kids. But it's great to know that God will provide either way; of course, we'd both like for it to be the apartments for Joe rather than work for me, but we'll take what we can get.

wow.... ok. so I didn't realize it has been over a year since I posted. That is pretty ridiculous. So I am going to try this again. In hopes that one day I will print it all out and have a nice journal of life. to catch everyone up, since my last post, I had another beautiful new baby boy... Levi Toye. He was born May 15 (2 days after my birthday), at 37 weeks (yippee!!). I also got to have a vbac with him, which I was super excited about. Levi is 3 months now, and has been smiling since about 7-8 weeks (a month before Caleb), and sleeping through the night since about 5-6 weeks -- at least 6-7 hours. At 3 months, he sleeps from about 7:30-8pm to about 5-6am. He is so laid back, and super sweet. Caleb is now almost 4, and he is a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm. Right now, he is sick with a virus, but even so, he asks me every night what we are going to do in the morning. He has a plan for everything, and an idea about how everything should go. He loves playing with cars, playing with any kind of ball, playing guitar (especially to church/devo songs, since those are mainly the ones he knows). I can't believe he is starting preschool in just a little over a week. At least I have 2 years of pre-k before he goes to "big school". He is learning how to adjust to being a big brother. I think he's doing ok, but it's a little easier for him since Dad is home as well as Mom right now, so he doesn't have to "wait" all the time. He has a gift for remembering directions/locations/verses, etc. He has the cutest ideas about things... he keeps telling me that we will have to go home before we go to heaven, because "they don't have clothes up there."