Field Trip

Yesterday we went on a "field trip" to the Salato Wildlife Education
Center in Frankfort. It was great, and something I would recommend!
It has an indoor area with aquariums and an outdoor walking path
with Kentucky animals along the way. It was very low key and
beautiful. On top of all that, it was free!! We had a wonderful time,
and as Creed put it, "This should be an annual trip." I agree!


Checking out the turtles


I caught a fish "this big."


I only considered it for a split second. Just kidding! :)


We really liked how natural the surroundings were and how
close you could get to the animals.


The Elk and Buffalo observation deck. See Nikki...proof
that buffalo are not extinct!

The Dragonfly marsh

Fun Fact: This is the actual and official mascot of the University

of Kentucky! Looks mean and tough, huh?!

One of our favorite parts...Under the waterfall was an

aquarium full of Kentucky fish. Creed taught Caleb all of

the proper names. I just say, "fish."

If this picture had sound, you would hear Caleb's fit. He

realllly wanted to get into the water.

After finishing the trail, we had a picnic lunch and Caleb

got to watch the geese.

It was a perfect day!

What a difference

What a difference a year can make!!!

August 2008

July 2009

I was cleaning out Caleb's closet this week and trying to

organize his clothes and shelves. I put his Bumbo seat

on the floor while I rearranged things. Apparently Caleb

wanted to give it another whirl. Now that his legs have

thinned out he fit perfectly and he didn't spit up in it this

time either!! :)

I was actually able to get a lot accomplished while he

sat in it and read books.

Look Mom...Two Hands!

Caleb is finally starting to use the two hand clap, at almost
14 months of age. He clapped a few times around 6 months,
but has been doing the Tarzan, beating one hand on his
chest, ever since. If You're Happy and You Know It will go
so much better now. :)


Yeah, Caleb!

Open Gym

On Monday Caleb went to an open gym with his friends Madalyn
and Barrett. He had a blast, and was definitely in his element. He
never stopped moving the entire time we were there. It became
very obvious that he is not ready for any type of structured class
at this point.


Riding the "roller coaster." This is the end of it, but he loved
riding down the hill.

Caleb's graceful exit! He actually did a front flip as he

climbed down and smiled when he landed on his back.

Bounce! Bounce! Bounce! He LOVED the trampoline!

Madalyn wanted to join him- The funny thing is that even

though we went with two friends, it is next to impossible

to get the kids to want to do the same thing at the same

time.

Barrett joined in on the trampoline

Lounging...having this much fun is hard work!

Sundays

We love Sundays around here! We are so blessed to have
found a wonderful church home, with a great nursery and
amazing friends. But, we also love Sundays because it is
a time to get together with family. Each Sunday we all gather
at my grandparents house for a wonderful lunch. We talk,
laugh, eat, but mostly watch as Caleb and Caroline play
together.

I was loving the pigtails!!!

25 years later

I got this slide for my second birthday, and now, 25 years later,
it is still holding up! I am so happy that my Mom saved it all of
these years...I love watching Caleb play on it. And, he seems
to enjoy it too!


Trying to do it himself (My Mom said she needs to give me
her copy of the book, The Strong-Willed Child.)



Having a blast with Grandmom!


Fearless- He may need a helmet for everyday life...

Lookin' Good

Thanks for my new outfit Grandma Beth! It fits perfect and
I think I look pretty cute in it! Love & miss you!! ~Caleb
P.S. Please come and visit soon!

Our 15 Minutes

Well, Caleb and I had our 15 minutes of fame this week. Let me
start from the beginning...I emailed the news a few weeks ago,
upset over their news coverage of a health insurance issue. In
my email I politely stated that they should tell the whole story.
Imagine my surprise when the "Troubleshooter," Charla Young
contacted me this week for an on-camera interview. While I
really didn't want to, I knew that I should. Am I embarrassed?
Yes. Very! But, I do think it is pretty cool that Caleb and I got
our 15 minutes of fame together.

Here is a link to view the new clip

http://www.wave3.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3982458&h1=Confusion%20continues%20as%20Norton%20battles%20Anthem&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=278367&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&rnd=62226689

*****

Here is a link to read the article, which sadly, spells Caleb's

name with a "K." Oh well.

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=10784952

Lots of Little Ones

Yesterday we went over to Nikki & Madalyn's house to get

together with some friends and their little ones. The kiddos

loved playing outside in the sprinkler and in the pool. They

also seemed very content with their indoor picnic lunch.

Playing in the sprinkler with Madalyn

All the kiddos: Caleb, Cole (3 yrs.,) Jackson (6 mo.,)

McKenna (1 week,) Camden (15 mo.,) & Madalyn (17 mo.)

Dinner with Friends

Sunday evening we took dinner to our friends, Nick & Amanda,
who recently welcomed baby Nixon to their family. Caleb went
too- we thought he could show them exactly what they would
need to baby proof! :) I was actually surprised with Caleb. He is
a real momma's boy these days, but was not bothered at all
when I held Nixon.


Sweet baby Nixon (3 weeks old)


This picture explains why Caleb was okay with me holding
Nixon. He LOVED their dog! He squealed with excitement
every time the dog brought him a toy to throw. (Our dog
Rhett is blind now, so playing fetch is out of the question.)
I tried so hard to get a better picture, but there was not way
he'd take his eyes off the dog for just one second.

Caleb & Caroline

This past Saturday we all got together at my grandparents
house for dinner. It was the first time that some of our family
were able to meet Caroline, which made the evening extra
special. We tried to get some pictures of Caleb & Caroline
together. As you can see, she loved the attention and
flashing bulbs. Caleb...not so much. He was not amused.

Caroline got to try out Caleb's swing for the first time. I'd

say it was a hit!

Such a MESS!

What am I going to do with him?!! Over the past week Caleb
has begun to run his hands in his hair and all over his face
when he is finished eating. While it wasn't a problem this
evening with bath time only a few hours away, it is an issue
during breakfast and lunch, especially when we have plans.
Check out the damage for yourself...

You really should click on this picture to get the full effect!


Not happy that I ran to get the camera...


(Maybe this isn't such a new thing...I was reminded of this
post.)

Book Worm

On Monday we went to Caleb's one year well-baby checkup,
even though he is really 13 months now. Sadly, he had to get
4 shots and a finger prick. I'd like to say that he did great, but
the truth is that after the initial finger prick and band aid
application, he was not a happy camper. (He hated the band
aid and tried SO hard to get it off.) But, the doctor was able to
tell me loud enough (over Caleb's screams) that he is healthy,
the blood work looked great, and he is still in the 50th
percentile for both height (30 inches) and weight (22 pounds,
13 ounces.) We were able to share that he is off a bottle,
sleeping great, beginning to walk, and eating like a champ!

13 things about Caleb at 13 months:

(1) He is SUPER busy, always on the move.
(2) He always drinks his milk each day but water is by far his
drink of choice, (assuming sweet tea isn't an option!)
(3) Green beans are his favorite veggie, as long as they are
slow cooked with a ham hock and onions.
(4) Fruit is his food of choice, especially water melon, pears,
peaches, strawberries, blue berries, and cantaloupe.
(5) He is in his 18 month clothes and looks super cute in his
cammo shorts and "Daddy's Fishin' Buddy" shirt.
(6) Caleb loves getting in his bed and lunges for it when it is
nap/bed time. (He knows his passies are waiting, all 4 of
them.)
(7) He is still a Mommy's Boy, but loves when he hears the
garage door and knows that Daddy is home from work.
(8) Going on a walk in his car is still a favorite activity.
(9) Still says "Rhett" more than any other word, although
recent additions to his vocabulary include "Grandmom,"
"Grandma," and "All done." (Still, Rhett is the only word
that he says clearly enough for anyone to understand.)
(10) The Laurie Berkner Band is still the only thing he will
watch on TV.
(11) It is nearly impossible to take Caleb to the grocery. He
now recognizes his favorite foods and wants to eat it all
when I put it in the cart. I now understand why kids always
have the box on animal crackers in the cart with them.
(12) Caleb loves going to the pool. He will spend 20-30
minutes in his float just walking around the baby pool.
(13) Caleb has turned into a real book worm. He spends
more time each day flipping through the pages of his books
than he does playing with any certain toy. It is so sweet to
watch. He even babbled out loud last week as he "read" to
himself.

The Campbellsville t-shirt is in honor of his Aunt Paige who

is going off to school there this fall! (2T was the smallest

size they had.)

This book has a mirror on the last page and he loves a

closeup view of himself.