Bounce Your Whole Face Off!

The title is a little shout out to my dear brother Adam, so Ad, wherever you are, this one's for you :)

Last night, we got a call from a young woman I worked with in our Church before I got moved into being primary music chorister, that the kid fun zone where she worked was pretty much empty. That's bad enough, but they were holding a fund drive for needy families AND the news cameras were showing up....and no one was there. She needed my help, so I made 10 phone calls to other families in our Church with kids and we headed over there. Fun-ny! We thought Caleb would get a big kick out of the place. It's the kind where it has huge blow up playground equipment--- slides and mini-basketball, a huge "spiderweb" to get stuck in, a giant boxing ring with the huge gloves, etc. Caleb is a rough and tumble kid, so we thought he'd be all into it. Turns out--it's all a farse. He's just a huge sissy :) It didn't help, I'm sure, that it was nearing his bedtime and he'd never been before, but he was scared to death. After we'd been there a little over half an hour, more kids/friends from Church arrived and Caleb warmed up to it a little.

This is me cuddling and consoling Caleb after I took him on the giant slide. He was not a fan.

Jonathan's going so fast you can hardly see the look of pure joy on his little boy grin!

Caleb didn't mind the bouncy toys as long as neither he nor anyone else he loved was on one :)

Family photo by the "rock wall climbing/slide" race

Okay, other than the massive amount of blood that rushed to my brain, this was hilarious. It's a humongous "spider web" where you have to place your weight carefully to climb up the many many layers. Well, according to the girl who'd called in the first place, she said I climbed up there in record time for a beginner. We sat up there for a minute and were like, "What now?" Well, now you get down. And according to Asha, head first is the only way. Here I am slipping through the 5 story spiderweb, headfirst. Be glad this isn't video. Caleb thought I was going to be eaten by a black widow or something because he was screaming his head off at just about this moment.

Thanks for inviting us, Asha. We had a great time!!

Splashin' Around

We had an opportunity to go to Southern California last week and couldn't pass it up. Caleb LOVED the beach. It was the biggest sandbox in the world! He liked to eat it as much as play in it, which was a bit of a problem, but we had a great time anyway. Again...still working on getting video uploaded, but here are a couple of pictures of our California adventure, from Camarillo to Santa Monica and back.

Not as cold as you'd think it would be...

Mighty Caleb footprints.

Becca's tree. They had the brightest purple flowers!

"No! Don't jump in Caleb! It's not worth it!"

"So this is what it's like in the front seat...Niiiiice."

Feeling sentimental

This post is serving many purposes. I wrote this letter to Caleb on his birthday just as Jonathan's mom did for him growing up. Since I figured only about 5 of you actually read my blog (bless your hearts), I thought you might indulge me in keeping an extra record of this letter in case it is somehow lost or destroyed. I also decided this post was appropriate on Mother's Day since Caleb is my only little boy and this letter represents what my life as "Mother" is. And finally, Heidi tagged Caleb ages ago, so here it goes.


Dear Caleb,

Wow. My little boy is one whole entire year old today. I have had mixed feelings about this day. I am so proud of you, Caleb. I'm proud of your accomplishments. You have been walking for a month now. You have five teeth and one more coming in. You are sleeping through the night and learning how to be affectionate and give hugs. You love to play, climb and explore. You love the dishwasher, the refrigerator and cupboards. You're learning how to pull things off counters and tables. You give "high fives" and wave at your own reflection in the mirror. You love your new big boy car seat that lets you face forward. You love cell phones, remote controls and anything "grown up." You are good at sharing anything that you have and that will be such a good quality when you are a big brother. You LOVE when friends come over to play or when you get to go over to visit friends. Even if you're tired and worn out, if you are with visitors you are still in a good mood. You LOVE music. You will stop and listen to music almost no matter what you are doing. I like to sing primary songs and hymns before you go to sleep. You love to get down and play and explore whenever we go someplace new whether it is at a store or just outside. You love a good joke and seem to know that you are being funny sometimes. You have been a Mama's boy this last year, but you are already showing signs of being more of a Daddy's little man in the future. Everyone who meets you just loves you. You have a smile that brightens your whole face and everyone else's mood. You make friends out of strangers everywhere you go.

Caleb, your father and I love you so much. Today has been a day of mixed emotions because we are so proud of you and so look forward to the little boy you are going to be. At the same time, each day you become more and more a boy-- and not a baby. We miss our Baby Caleb and are sad to see our time with him is limited. We look forward to seeing all you will become as you grow into the boy and man you are meant to be.

All our love is with you. You are a special son of God and He loves you too. Remember that He has saved you and protected you for a special purpose.

Happy Birthday, my son.



Love,

Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB!!!

Caleb had no idea this day was special. He woke up as usual. Didn't feel like taking a nap, as usual :), and was our sweet, adorable baby boy, as usual, but when the streamers went up and the balloons were out (thank you, Papa Wright), Caleb knew something was different. He LOVED it. He loved the visitors (thank you, those of you who were able to come. It meant so much to us to have you there), he loved the balloons and the new toys, clothes and shades he received and he LOVED the chocolate cake he had all to himself. Per tradition, Caleb got his very own cake and although he was dainty at first, he got the hang of it. Thank you, Grandma Wright for bathing him afterward so he could come back and join the party. It was a special day, and Caleb really enjoyed himself. Here's what it looked like:

The food took a long time, so I have to share! :)

It was a Sesame Street theme complete with Elmo,

Cookie Monster and Big Bird (sort of) cupcakes.

THE cake....Before.

Caleb, lovin' life.

Really getting into the groove now.

THE Cake...After.

Ugh...No more chocolate cake...

We took a lot of video too, so once we learn how to get it from the mini DVD onto the computer, we'll post that too. Anyone know how?