Donuts with Dad and PIZZA, more chapel

Caleb had a fun day today. Joe took him to preschool this morning for Donuts with Dad. Caleb told me all about it, and that they ate them in the gym, where they had crayons and paper for the kids. He didn't tell me much about the pizza for lunch, but was really impressed with the small packets of cheese crackers for snack and the Phineas napkins they used. I saw a picture he drew of the rainbow God sent Noah, and it was pretty good. There were about 4 actual curved lines, and then a lot of colors. I think his drawing/writing skills are improving a lot. Last night at church he said he drew me a heart, and it did have a pointy end (like a circle with a point). Then he colored it pink and stayed mostly in the lines he drew. He also drew a circle and told me it was a circle. Tonight when I got home, Caleb insisted on giving us a lesson in "chapel" and he used his Bible. There were lots of stories, about how millions of years ago the disciples killed the dinosaurs, and how they robbed people, also about the baby that Moses had, whom he put in the river. We also learned about Jonah who was on the ark for 30, no 40, no 3 days and 3 nights. Oh, and about Daniel, who was in the lion's den and did not get eaten (hey, at least we got one right).
And it's official. Levi will not drink formula in the bottle, no matter how warm, cool, tepid, etc. it is. Lovely.

UPDATE: Levi will now drink pretty much anything given to him. He started drinking formula just a week or so after this, warm, lukewarm, mixed with momma's milk, etc. Now at 8 months drinks juice and water.

Playing "Chapel"

This morning Levi and went on the hunt for Caleb's party supplies. I am starting my endeavor at a "cheap" but totally fun Cars/Racing party. Then I worked for a bit, came home, fed Levi and ate, and then worked a bit more. Tonight I earned a "gold crown" from Caleb tonight since I was able to find the "old part" and the "new part" in the Bible. It all started with "chapel", of which Cale was in charge. Chapel followed a concert, where Caleb played a lively and LONG rendition of "Ain't no rock, gonna cry in my place. As long as I'm alive I'll glorify his holy name...."on his guitar, although he can't tell what all the words are, so it is pretty hilarious. What he doesn't know in words he makes up for with enthusiasm. Now, he knows we don't advocate playing guitar during chapel, and made it clear that we were going to start Chapel after the concert. So we had a prayer, where he thanked God that his his teacher was sick today (I'm pretty sure he says thank you for everything, even his requests). Oh, and Levi had a giggling session after his last feeding, just him and me. We... giggled back and forth like 5 times. SO fun...

Caleb''s comments

So today, Caleb told me that God is orange. hmmm... Then he told me he found it on the computer. Now it makes sense. He also said that when he is 4, he will be a big boy and leave his "duckie" (or "pet" as his teachers must call it) at home instead of taking him to school. He has been a lot better with Levi lately, giving him kisses and trying to talk to him, tell him what he's doing. He lets Levi sit in the bean bag in his room and watch him play. And I haven't had to tell him not to hurt him lately, so that is good.
Speaking of Levi, we just went to the Dr. for his 4 month appt (17 weeks). He was only 11 lbs, 14.5 ounces. 25 1/4 inches. So that is the 60th percentile for length, and the 5th percentile for weight. Also, his head is in the 3rd percentile! I looked up Caleb and he was 12 lbs at 18 weeks. Last night, I was making a face and talking to him and he chucked. It was a little belly laugh where his stomach actually moved. I would say "ee-ee-ee" and he just giggled. It was adorable. He now sleeps about 8:30-6am (sometimes later) and eats about 5-6x per day. Not great naps... maybe 2 or 3 30minute-1hour long naps. Tonight he sat with us at the table in his high chair. He let us eat a whole meal without complaining too much. I think we might try cereal tomorrow. He also sat in his swing all by himself and watched Caleb play ball for awhile before dinner. He is such a happy baby, a joy to us all!
Oh, and Caleb ate his first real serving of vegetables in about 2 years! I have tried putting cooked or raw spinach in SO many things, and he always turns up his nose. Tonight he refused to eat his green beans, but he really wanted some cake. He said, "I think I'll eat some cake in the morning." We said no way. He said,"Well, what are we having tomorrow night for dinner?" (He wanted to know if he would eat it all and earn his cake then!!) We said we didn't know. So I said he could have salad instead. I put ranch dressing and cheese on it, and the boy at almost all of it (about 12 leaves). I was thrilled.
And yesterday, on Granna's birthday, Caleb told her as seriously as he could, that there was dinosaur "poo" in the backyard. It was a yellow dinosaur. He must really believe everything say, because he told me there was poo in the backyard, and I said (trying to be fun) "What animal left it, do you think? Think it was a dinosaur?" "Yea, I fink so," he says. Guess he thought I was serious. Even today, he said he saw a dinosaur footprint in the sand. A T-rex. He is really getting an imagination. Granna said that he was playing "School" with the little people and they played for about 30 minutes with all the events he does in preschool.

Random funnies

So I keep thinking about our last trip to the zoo. I hesitated to post anything about this because I can't think how to do it delicately but still convey the hilariousness of the event. We got a little more than we bargained for while viewing Mr. and Mrs. Tortoise.... that's right. As we were coming up on them, I said, "Joe, is that the lion?" (roaring)... Nope. It was Mr. Tortoise ("Sea Turtle" as Caleb calls all turtles). For like a full 5 minutes (seemed like). It was not only hilarious to view the event (which I'll admit I never realized how 2 animals with hard shells would go about such a thing), but then to see the passer-by-er's expressions when they realized what was making all the racket. That was killer! One guy even came back with his camera with his wife yelling at him the whole time. But then the funniest part was when Caleb said, "Mommy, the sea turtles are talking." M-hmm, I replied. "What are they saying?" No comment. Later in the car on the way home, he kept on, "I didn't know that sea turtles could talk, did you". No, I didn't. On a side note (sweet one), last night in the car, Caleb was watching Levi, and he said, "Mommy, I think Levi is praying. Because he has his hands folded." Sure enough, he did, although Caleb wasn't sure how seriously he was taking his prayer since his eyes were open.

Zoo day

We got out early and made it to the zoo by 10:30. Amazingly enough, there was hardly anyone there. I "wore" Levi in the Moby wrap, and he did very well the entire time. The train was not in operation, but at least Caleb did not have a meltdown over it. Also, the stagecoach was soaking wet inside, so he was a little bummed. On the upside, we went into some stores we don't usually go in. He wanted desperately to buy about 5 plastic 12" lizards, a green hard had with a light on it, and 3 rocks (2 green, 1 blue -- he made me write it all down). I used the line my mom used on me pretty much anytime I asked for something after Christmas and before my birthday..."Why don't you ask for it for your birthday." I guess he thought we would forget, so he insisted we call Granna right then to tell her about the things on his wish list. We called her, but of course, all she could make out was "zoo" and "alligator" (I think he added that to the plastic lizards). Tonight we attempted another dual bath with the boys... which didn't go as well. Of course Caleb sulked that he had to share "his" tub. Levi tried to faceplant several times, and then when I got the rag soapy, he was stretching out like "stiff as a board", so I had to hold him in a cradle hold with one hand and wash him with the other. Not sure he got very clean. Oh, and Caleb has now added "possible" (or maybe "impossible", I can't tell) to his list of random words he throws into conversations about every hour. Usually something like this, "You know, Mom, it's possible that there's an insect in our GPS, and it's just not teaching the truth." How do you argue with that logic??

1st bath together

Just wanted to document the first bath that Caleb and Levi had together, just short of his 4 month birthday. I didn't get a picture of it because I was the only one here, and I had to keep a pretty good hold on Levi. He seemed to really enjoy it. Caleb, on the other hand, kept insisting that "the sign says no babies allowed in the bathtub". He was quite put out that he was having to share the tub, especially after Levi spit up in the water a couple times. I just told him that Levi probably didn't want all Caleb's dirt getting on him, but oh well. Caleb eventually warmed up to the idea of having a bath buddy, but still felt that it would be better to only get a bath with him when he's bigger (Levi). What can I say, he hates any kind of change! We watched Pinocchio tonight (the live version) and we all really enjoyed it. Early this morning I took a few more things over to the Just Between Friends sale again... let's hope I make more than $30 this time!

P.S. This pic didn't happen this day, but I just like it. If I come across one of them in the bath, I'll add it.

Hard work

So I have started back again to work, and am trying to balance work, nursing, mothering, and preschool pick-up/drop-off. It's a task, I tell you. But a blessing that I have an occupation that is so flexible I can juggle all those things... sometimes simultaneously. Today, I had to take Levi with me to supervise my assistant. I nursed him while I watched her through the window! It was a little crazy, but he did great. I think I may have to do that again next week, since I start with another assistant so I have to be there for 2 hours straight. Caleb asks me where I am going, because I often talk about work in terms of "visits". So I told him I go to other kids' houses who can't talk very well. He sees me leaving with all our games, so I'm sure he wonders why I go play games with other kids instead of playing with him... It makes me sad, and I try to tell him that I would rather stay home with him. But a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. Today, he brought home a paper from preschool that had their activities on it. He told me they went to chapel, where they sang and heard a story and then went back to class. He made a paper that had his favorite things on it. Apparently, his favorite food is bread. Really? Cause I could save a lot of money that way!! Levi is learning to laugh and he loves when I pretend to eat his toes and blow strawberries on his belly. I looked carefully in his mouth tonight when he was screaming during his bath (water was getting chilly), and I just know I saw 2 tooth buds coming up. I'm not surprised since he has been knawing constantly on his fists and fingers lately. Joe is pretty excited because it's opening night of football and the Saints are playing.

Update: The "tooth buds" were just my imagination. We are currently at 8 months and STILL no teeth. Which actually is totally fine by me, even better if he doesn't have them until 1 yr old! And evidence of why Caleb has a hole worn in ALL of his jeans, only on the right side, which is his knee-scooting side. So now we only wear "holy" jeans to pre-school.

A "Summer shower"

turns into a "torrential downpour". Caleb woke us up at 5:45 am going to the bathroom. Pretty sure he was woken up by the driving rain. Then Caleb hollering for us to come "wipe" woke Levi up. After they were both back in bed, we heard the unmistakable plinking sound of water hitting the ceiling from the attic. So Joe had to go up and put a bucket down where the vent from the bathroom goes out to the roof. Lovely. And the drip ruined the sheetrock that we fixed when we moved in from someone else's leak. Should have known... fix the leak, not just the look. I got Joe to drive us to ladies bible class (where we were 22 minutes late). There was one parking lot we passed with cars 1/2 submerged in water. They were close to a "creek/river", so I guess it flooded. After that I ran 1 mile and went to see a couple kids for work. Levi slept from 2:30-5:40!!! He is the cutest thing. Even if he is tired and grumpy, the minute I put him on the changing table he turns into smiles and giggles. He loves it there. He can be crying at me, and after a couple seconds he just can't help but start smiling and cooing at me. So sweet. Caleb told me today that I could only work for 2 more days. Well, it is Wednesday, so I guess he is right. I told him this morning that before dinner he would need to have his room clean, because then it would be dinner, church, bed and school. He agreed. After church, it still wasn't clean. I told him he had until I got Levi in bed to get it all picked up and whatever was still on the floor was mine for 2 days. He did a good job, but he put a bunch of cars in the wrong place and left his workshop stuff all on the floor. So I took them.. that was a meltdown. But he has started "playing" too much when told to clean up, so I am hoping this way he will really get to it when he is told to clean up. He was sitting there with tears running down his face (since I tool about 20 of his 150 cars).... "but you can only have them for 2 days, okay." It was almost enough for me to give them back. Sweet boy. I didn't have a good pic for today, so this is Levi already mastering the remote control. That's right.. at 4 months old.

1st day of Pre-K

It was on this rainy, Tuesday morning, Caleb had his first day of school. He was up early enough to have breakfast, watch a show, play, and help me pack his lunch. I told he we had to get some pictures at home and at school since it was the first day. He reluctantly agreed (probably because last time I threatened to take his candy at school!) to "two pictures". IT was so humid, my camera lens was fogging up. Once he found his "turtle name" he hung his backpack up and went right in. His friend Ethan from church was already there, so they got to playing cars. Later, his friend Emmy arrived and she joined in the fun with the boys. I helped Caleb introduce himself to 2 boys in his class, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't paying attention to me, rather the new vehicles. I'm glad I don't have to worry about him being upset at my leaving, but it would be nice for him to miss me at least a little! Oh well, maybe with child #2! At the end of the day, the teacher said he did great. He gave a rundown of all the activities of the day, but said his favorite thing was "playing". A true little boy.

Labor Day Fun!

Today we had a great day. First we found Caleb his new pair of "School shoes". Of course, they were the most obnoxious pair on the shelf... Cars... and they light up. Lovely. I guess that's what I get for getting onto my mother for getting him his first pair of Cars shoes, which were only slightly better. Then we met Mark, Mia, Granna and Poppa at our house for lunch. After lunch we had a great time playing in the "construction site" (which is the big dirt patch left by the utility company when they came last). Then tonight we went with Granna and Poppa to play a game of Putt-Putt. Caleb scored a "hole in 2", tempered by the "holes in 15", but he had a great time. He also got to play Guitar Hero and ski ball... though we probably need to wait a few more years for those. At any rate, he earned 5 tickets, which was enough to get a "Sour Warhead". He was so excited, up until he put it in his mouth. He wanted to like it so much, that he asked for it again after we got home. But you can see the reaction to his little treat! Oh, and we have talked a bunch about him going to pre-k tomorrow. Today he told Granna he was going to go to preschool tomorrow, and next week, he's going to college. And I'm sure that is what it will seem like.

Lazy Sunday

We had a great day at Worship today. Caleb said all the fruits of the Spirit by memory. I am so proud of him! After lunch, we played a concert outside (Caleb on lead guitar and me on the keyboard) to accommodate Daddy's nap on the couch in the living room. We also played a little in the sand table and added some water to our moat, where we found a dead bug that had to make it's exit. Sunday night Caleb led "I'm in the Lord's Army" for Bible Hour. I asked him what he talked about in class, and he said "Jonah", but the teenager who was in class corrected him with "Noah". At least he knew there was a boat and fish involved. Apparently we have been listening to our Acapella CD a lot lately, because along with using "GPS" at least a few time a day, he also announces at least a couple times a day (usually when he is not getting his way), that "that is not teaching the truth" (from "Teaching the Truth in Love"). And we have also been talking a lot about honesty, as he is beginning to tell some things that are not true, but rather how he would want them to be. Tonight after church, Joe surprised me by telling Caleb we were going to eat with some church folks at Chapps. He knows how much I love to eat with people! On a side note, I asked him what he wants to be for Halloween this year. I keep encouraging him to be Scooby Doo, since I bought that costume last year and he switched at the last minute to Thomas the Train. No such luck. He told be emphatically that he wants to be.... (drum roll) a shopping cart. That's right. Well, his friend Ethan wants to be a pickle, so maybe Caleb can carry him in his shopping cart!

A day at the zoo

Today, when I finally got myself moving by 10am, I decided it was a great day for the zoo. Joe had already decided it was a great day for football, since it was the first day of college football. So I packed up the boys and we went by ourselves. We met Mark, Lindsay, and Mia there. I wore Levi in the sling with a backpack for our stuff... no stroller!! Levi did great. He looked out all around until he ate after about 2 hours, then he rode facing me (I mistakingly thought he would get a nap), for the next hour or so. No pics of the zoo, but here are some of my sweet boys. Oh, and Caleb randomly uses "GPS" at least 4x a day. HE babbles on about things he sees, or reasoning why he should get to have something... "and it's just a GPS", or something like that. I don't even think we talk about it or use our GPS that much!! And the word "insect" also randomly appears in conversations. Love it. The pic with Aunt Beth showcases Levi's new smile.

Mmmm, mudpies!

Caleb and I made our first mudpie on Friday. That's right. I waited until he is almost 4. Well, the kid has hated to be dirty until about now. I nearly died when he got tired of offering me bites on the spade and reached in and grabbed a handful. YES! I finally have a "dirty" boy!! We made this one for Daddy. Caleb said it was his birthday cake. So when he came out to take our pic, we sang Happy Birthday and Dad blew out the candle (the wood stick). He was really distressed when the bug he was trying to feed the "pie" would not stay put and eat! Then he tried to kill it. I have a hard time explaining why I kill bugs immediately and without reserve in the house, but I insist he leave them alone outside. I just said, "this is his house. We only kill them when they come in our house." That's valid, right?

Meet the Teacher night

Joe, Levi, and I took Caleb to meet his new teacher's tonight. I had to threaten him with eating all his chocolate candy to get this picture, so I am sure I am already making a great impression on his teachers. He is going to be in the Turtles (or Sea Turtles, as he calls it, since I made the mistake of saying how cool it was that he just bought a hat to match it, and it has a sea turtle) class, with 2 of his friends from our church. I already introduced him to my insane need to get "the best thing at the best price" while on our lunchbox search. He just wanted to get whatever the current store had, but we were on the hunt for either Cars or Toy Story, since he first said that was what he wanted. We almost settled for Shrek, but when I realized that it burped when you pushed a button on his stomach, I quickly returned it to the shelf with all the others. No sense getting in trouble for your lunchbox. We FINALLY snagged the LAST Toy Story one, after 4 different Walmarts and 2 Targets. Whew!

I'm a Big Kid now

So after the near-meltdown Sun night, since he didn't get to play a video game, Joe and I decided he might be old enough to try. Apparently, there is a "family" setting, so he actually did really well. He scored 2 touchdowns and LOVED it. Literally, he let Joe show him about 2 times what to do and then was off on his own. I definitely think there is a special part in a boy's brain dedicated to video game playing, since I am pretty sure he is already better than I am at those things. Except for Tetris; I kill on that game.

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."