Ice Cream Social

Last week Uncle Luke came over and had dinner with us. It was

such a special treat that we decided to have cookies and ice

cream for dessert, or as Caleb calls it, an "Ice cream social!"

He is just like his Daddy! Oh, and I love that Uncle Luke sat at

the Mickey table with Caleb...it made Caleb's night having

"Yuke" around.

You know you're approaching your due date when...

• your maternity shirts no longer cover your belly.
• you have a cup of coffee in the morning, a Diet Coke in the afternoon, and an iced tea for dinner.
• you find time to organize your pantry, kitchen cabinets, laundry room, closets, and so on.
• you no longer look at the scale. Who cares at this point?!!
• the billing lady at your OB's office knows you by name.
• rolling over in bed and standing up from the floor take actual effort on your part.
• people comment, "You look like you are going to pop." Gee thanks.
• you email a friend from work about your latest prenatal appointment, providing ALL the details of how you are progressing, only to get the response, "Um, I think you meant to send this to a different Mary B., but congrats on your baby!"
• episodes of MTV's Teen Mom always make you cry.
• you have washed everything for the baby but have it neatly folded in laundry baskets because you HAVE NO DRESSER TO PUT THEM IN.
• the lady at the furniture store tells you the furniture you ordered in mid-October still sits at the manufacturer in New Jersey, you contemplate renting a U-Haul to go and pick it up.
• the lady at the furniture store tells you "at least two weeks" (the same thing she said two weeks ago) you immediately call your husband and have an emotional breakdown.

Whew. I actually feel better now.

Snow Day

Well, it's another snow day here, and while in years past I
was always super excited about snow days, I have to say that
they are getting a little old. Somehow they keep occurring on
my scheduled work days! (Days that I won't be able to make
up since I'll be at home with the baby!)

To put it simply, Caleb and I are bored. So, before 10am this
morning, this is what we had already gotten into...


A mid-morning snack as a bear,



an episode (or 2, or 3) of Mickey while dressed as Mickey,


and some train play, also while dressed as Mickey.

I wonder what this afternoon will bring?!!

Who is this child?

Who is this child, and what has he done with my son, who even as a
baby, would never sleep anywhere but his own bed???

Sledding Fun!

Snow Day!

We got word Thursday night that Friday would be another Snow
Day! And while the temperatures were much colder, Caleb and I
still braved the elements for some fun in the snow!

Early Dismissal

When I left for work Thursday morning, there wasn't a flake of snow
to be seen. In fact, when we received word that we would be
dismissing school early that day, there still wasn't a flake of snow!
But, I didn't argue, and after standing outside for 20 minutes IN
THE SNOW at 1:30pm while our car riders left, I decided they
made a good decision. By 4:00, Caleb and I were outside playing
in the snow. I may have enjoyed his new sled myself, but thankfully,
no labor! ;)

Wednesday evening we drove around town and made phone

call after phone call, but thankfully, we found the perfect sled

(on sale!!) at Meijers! We wanted to be prepared, just in case!

I pulled him up the hill more times than I should have, but then

decided that he was big enough to make it up himself!

Add sledding to the list of activities that he LOVES!

And playing on mounds of snow.

What he doesn't love are snow covered gloves. I showed him

how to clap his hands to clean them off, but each time he did

that all the snow flew in his face. He really didn't like that!

Donuts with Dad

Last week Caleb's school had a special treat, Donuts with Dad!
It worked out perfect that Creed didn't work until noon that day
so he was able to go.

Think Caleb is excited?!!





I am so glad that they were able to do something special
together. Muffins with Mom is on February 25, so fingers
crossed I'll still be able to go with my little man!

34 Weeks

I realized that it's been 8 weeks since I posted an updated

baby bump (I'm not sure bump is the correct description at

this point!) picture. Oops! (Truthfully, I'm not a fan of my

puffy, pregnant face these days, so that is why I've put it off

for 2 months!)

***

Baby Luke and I are doing well these days. I have some days

where I feel great, and other days where I really feel pregnant.

I guess that's expected! On a positive note, he is very low, so

I don't have any issues with heartburn, pain in the ribs, trouble

breathing, etc. so that's a plus!

***

He is still a very active little one, with fairly predictable times of

activity. It looks like we may have some late nights once he

arrives! Even though we ordered his furniture in October, it

STILL hasn't arrived! I am SO looking forward to setting up his

room, the wait is just driving me crazy!

***

I go to the doctor next Monday, and after that it's every week!

I can't believe we are already at that point...Being pregnant

October through December sures makes time seem to fly by.

***

Caleb has received two big brother books, both of which we

read often at bedtime. I also ordered him a book that explains

what it will be like once the baby arrives, and he seems to

enjoy reading it. However, he now says that "No, Baby Luke

is not coming," so that may be a bad sign. We'll see...

Sunday Dinner

On most Sundays we have lunch after church at Grandma and
Grandaddy's house. Last Sunday Caleb became very interested
in the preparation as Grandaddy was using an electric knife to
cut the roast. He wanted to see up close what all the noise was!

**The sun glasses were a "pick your battles" thing. He

actually wore them to church last week, and for the better

part of the time that he was in the nursery. He even wore

them during lunch!

Even More Fun!

Caleb and Jackson had even more fun after the water park
closed. Their kids' meals came with wolf ears, and the boys
quickly learned to howwwlllll while wearing them. (Caleb still
loves his wolf ears. He wore them in bed tonight during story
time and informed me that he was wearing them to church
tomorrow to show his teacher. You know the phrase, Pick
your battles...)

We also made it down to the lobby for story time! The boys

were mesmerized! They both sat still the whole time!

At the end of the show fake snow poured down on us

from the ceiling. Super cool!

While I followed the "pregnant women should not participate"

signs, I ignored the warnings about letting children play on the

luggage carts. They had fun going up and down the long

hallway, and it killed some time before the water park reopened

that morning!

"Let's Do It Again!!"

Last Monday and Tuesday we took Caleb to Great Wolf Lodge for
his "last hurrah" as an only child. The Whitworths went too, and both
Caleb and Jackson had a blast. (Actually, the adults all had a blast
too!) Caleb's motto for the trip was "Let's do it again!" and was
something we heard after every single time he got off a slide. Creed
wins Dad of the Year, as he carried Caleb and a double tube up 4
flights of stairs more times than I could count. I was exhausted just
watching! But, they were having SO much fun that I don't think
anything would have slowed them down! And as for Caleb's last
hurrah...I think it was successful, as Creed and I spent 2 days
following him around asking, "What do you want to do next?"

**Unfortunately, because of the lighting and reflection from the water
my pictures are not that great. But, hopefully you can still see how
much fun our little dare devil had!


All smiles!

Caleb loved this spraying tree. He quickly figured out how to

pull the rope and spray someone!

We didn't read the signs carefully, because the day was almost

over when we realized that you had to be a certain height OR

with a parent. While he wasn't tall enough for the slide, he was

able to still go down since Creed and I were there! If only you

could hear the "Let's do it again!"

Creed, Caleb, Jackson, and Andy

Caleb loved the big tube slides with Daddy. And I know Creed

had fun being able to do the big slides!

This was Caleb's favorite, and if you ask him about Great Wolf

Lodge, this is what he'll tell you about. Going "round and round,"

down the "hole," and even coming out "backwards."

It's hard to see, but that's Caleb and Creed. Now you can see

why Creed had so much fun! (As for me and my very pregnant

self, I was realllly wanting to ignore the "pregnant women should

not participate" and go down myself. But, I figured I would be

really embarrassed if I went into labor on a water slide...)

See the smile..."Let's do it again!"

**

The BEST thing we did was to go on a Monday and Tuesday.

Monday there might have been 50 people in the whole park.

On Tuesday we were the only people there the first 20 minutes

that it was open, and even then we only counted about 25

people! Very worth it, especially with little ones!

Caleb and Caroline

Oh, the things he says...

Caleb: Where's church?
Me: On Feganbush Lane.
Caleb: That's exactly right, Mommy!
*****
While I was lint rolling my pants...
Caleb: You're doing a great job!
*****
Alphie (his learning robot): Put in a new card to play a
game.
Caleb: No, I don't want to.
Alphie: Put in a new card to play a game.
Caleb: No, Alphie!
Alphie: I'm looking for a card with purple on it. Can you
find that card?
Caleb: NO, ALPHIE! NO!
*****
While I was walking down the steps...
Caleb: Be very careful, Mommy!
*****
Caleb: What road we on?
Me: The Gene Snyder.
Caleb: What kind of road the Gene Snyder?
Me: It's an expressway.
Caleb: Like the Polar Express! Where is the Polar
Express?
*****
Me: Do you want your milk cup?
Caleb: No. I want coffee!
*****
When he was ready for bed...
Caleb: I'm ready for my mattress now.
*****
Me: Santa brought you new pans for your kitchen. Why
do you still use mine?
Caleb: Because we share, Mommy!
*****
Caleb: Daddy, Ryan texted you?
Creed: I don't think so...
Caleb: You don't think so? Okay.
*****
Me: We are going to breakfast and Ms. Nikki, Madalyn,
and Hayden will be there.
Caleb: Matt be there?
Me: No, I think he is at work.
Caleb: No, that's not right.
Me: I think he had to work today.
Caleb: No. No. Matt's on Sasse Way.
*****
peeno (piano)
chicken (kitchen)
Yes, me do (Yes, I can)

Ball Games

Caleb loves going to Uncle Luke's ball games, although it does
take lots of hands and lots of sweets to get him to sit still for so
long. Over Christmas break Luke had a holiday tournament that
we were able to attend. It was a little rough because the game
before Luke's ran over time- I think we were there for right at
2 and 1/2 hours total! But, it was still lots of fun!!

Here the recipe for a successful ball game with Caleb...

You'll need one candy cane and a very patient Grandmom who

doesn't mind getting sticky.

Add one ring pop and a Grandaddy who's lap is always open.

Throw in a little popcorn, courtesy of Grandpa. (A pinch of

Grandmom's lap is a great addition at this point.)

And, don't forgot the secret ingredient...Pez. (Always have on

hand enough Pez refills to last the 4th quarter, if the game is

delayed unexpectedly!)

Note: Cuddling with Grandma and walking around during half
time with Grandpa is a must!

Enjoy!!!
*****
Seriously, we are SO proud of Uncle Luke and his
accomplishments on the court this year! Tonight Whitefield
takes on KCD, and with a 7:30 start time, there is no way
we'll be able to make it. We'll be cheering from home...
Goooo Yuuuuuke!

Whatever it takes...

...to get through a meal peacefully! Gotta love Sprint TV streaming

Mickey Mouse!

2010

January

*****
February

*****
March

*****
April

*****
May

*****
June

*****
July

*****
August

*****
September

*****
October

*****
November

*****
December

*****
It is SO hard to believe that we are beginning a new year! I could start
so many sentences with, "It seems like just yesterday...!" Time is
flying by, and it's evident when I look back at pictures from this year.
While Caleb isn't changing as rapidly as he did when he was an infant,
there have still been so many changes in his life...talking, sleeping in
a big boy bed, starting preschool, etc. While I am so thankful for his
health and excited as he learns new things, I feel sad to think about
how quickly he is growing up! I know I won't ever get these times
back, so as 2011 comes (what is sure to be an exciting, trying, and
exhausting year!) it is my resolution/hope to slow down and enjoy each
day, even those spent at home with my (soon to be!) two boys!
Oh, and something tells me that Caleb won't think 2011 will be quite
the year that 2010 was! ;)
*****
HAPPY NEW YEAR!