My Heart

Caleb came home from school with this heart bracelet in his backpack. He was SO excited to get it out and give it to me...He said he got it out of the treasure box (all the kids get to pick from it before they leave for the day) and he wanted to give it to me because he loved me. I think his exact words were, "I got it for you because I love you!"

I will treasure it forever!

Timberline

Last weekend we took the boys to Canaan Valley, West Virginia, so Caleb could go skiing for the first time. Creed's aunt and uncle have a house at Timberline and were gracious enough to let us stay there.

Three days prior to our trip Caleb started to show signs of getting sick, and sure enough the day before we were supposed to leave he started running a fever. We still made the trip Friday night (7 hrs) but both boys slept great in the car once it got dark. Caleb felt better Saturday, but because it hadn't been 24 hrs since he had a fever, he stayed around the house and played with Luke and I. (Creed's cousin, Peter, met us there so Creed still had a skiing buddy!)

Sunday morning Caleb was feeling great so we all got bundled up (It was actually unseasonably warm there!) and headed over to the mountain.

Luke was a trooper and hung out in my lap for a few hours while the boys skied. He had lunch in the lodge and flirted with all the ladies there! It was hilarious...since he was the only baby there he got sooo much attention! (He loved every second of it too!) Little did we know that by Sunday evening, Luke would have a fever too. :(
Caleb was SO excited to go skiing with his Daddy! He had been talking about it for weeks and said that morning when he woke it, "I think I am going to love skiing!"
Ready to go!

Creed spent some time trying to help Caleb to get a feel for the skis- I think they made 2 runs down the bunny slope. At that point Caleb said that he wanted someone else to be his teacher! ;) (We had talked to him about a lesson, but he had decided he didn't want one.)

After lunch Caleb spent an hour with his "ski teacher." (That's them in the middle.) He put some sort of thing on the front of Caleb skis to force them in a snow plow. Creed told the guy that Caleb was having a hard time moving his skis, to which the instructor replied, "Yeah, he's three." ;)He's not ready for the moguls yet, but we did get out of this trip the 3 things we hoped for...Caleb had fun, he wasn't scared, and he wants to "do it again!"

11 Months

Sweet Luke Michael, YOU are ELEVEN MONTHS old today!

How in the world did that ever happen? While it seems like you've always been a part of our family, it doesn't seem like you should be so close to your first birthday!

You are such a sweet, happy, go with the flow baby. You are never fussy or cranky, and really the only time you cry is during diaper changes or if we take something that you want (cell phone, remote control, Rhett, Caleb's tiny toys) away from you. Yet, you are so, so wild.

You attempt to get into everything, and are pretty successful. You pull up to the coffee table and somehow get your tiny hands on everything that you shouldn't have and you love to open and slam our bottom pots and pans drawer in the kitchen.

Last weekend you met a step for the first time and had it conquered in two minutes flat.

You new favorite game is to throw an object back over your shoulder, crawl over to it and pick it up, and then throw it over your shoulder again in the opposite direction. You've actually got a pretty good arm! ;) You also like to take random objects (toy drum stick, spoons, etc.) and push them across the kitchen floor, watching them slide in front of you.

You love, love, love your big brother and just watch him play. You also love Rhett and want to have your hands all over him. Because you are such a proficient and fast crawler, I don't see you walking anytime soon, but we'll see.

You have 5 teeth with a 6th coming through any day now.

You are really not interested in baby food anymore and I have a feeling we'll be done with it totally by the end of this month. You shake your head back and forth and refuse to open that little mouth for anything once you've set your mind to it. I can get you to eat yogurt and baby oatmeal on most days, though. You love pasta with marinara sauce and cheese quesadillas. You'll eat green beans really well if they are seasoned, steamed broccoli covered with cheese, and don't mind spinach mixed in with your pasta. You still have 4 formula bottles each day (8, 12, 4:30, and 7:30) and we are working on using a sippy cup for the lunch one every day.

At 11 months, you are an amazing sleeper! (Thanks, big guy!!) You are asleep by 8pm and either you wake at 8am or we wake you up. You nap each morning around 10 for an hour (I usually wake you up) and take a great afternoon nap around 2 or 2:30. You sleep in your Sleep Sack and hold two of your little softies. And, your passie is a must at nap and bedtime.

Yes, Luke, you are SOOOOO BIG!


We love, love, love you Luke Michael.

Crazy Weather

We've had some crazy, crazy weather, that's for sure! One minute we're out without coats because the temperature is in the 60s and the next Caleb is sledding on the less than an inch of snow we had....

Last week we had severe weather, which meant that the tornado sirens went off. Caleb is fascinated with the siren, and after we got the "all clear," he was quick to build his own siren with his "snap blocks." Have I mentioned that we LOVE the Trio building sets?!! The picture shows him turning his "siren" and you'll even notice by his face that his siren made noise too. ;)

Just Recently

Just recently Luke has decided to become the world's fastest 10 month old crawler and get into E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! Rhett's dog food, picture frames, and candle sticks are no longer safe, not to mention any of Caleb's toys. And, to top it off, he is no longer interested in his toys for more than 10 seconds. Cooking dinner is a challenge, but I've found that pots & pans will keep his attention for a while. He is so funny- he rubs the lid and pan across the tile floor, making the most awful noise. He, however, thinks it's just great. Needless to say, it makes for a noisy evening. Oh, and Caleb, he is still an amazing big brother- such a help!

Luke has also figured out how to drink out of a sippy cup (finally!) and even takes his lunchtime formula in it. (I CAN'T believe that he will be on regular milk in about a month...crazy!) I do have to help him out and recline his seat because he still needs to figure out that he has to hold the cup tilted up. ;)

Ready to Hit the Slopes!

Help!

Luke loves to crawl under the kitchen table, and every single time we have to rescue him! It seems as though getting stuck is fun to this little guy!

Soooooo Big

Daddy's Work

Last year Bachman Chevrolet tore down their showroom and began work on a brand new one. This meant that Creed had to move into a double wide (yet very nice!) trailer to work out of. It wasn't easy, but now he is so excited to be moved into his new office. The new showroom is almost complete, and last week we just had to visit and see it. We were also there for the flag raising ceremony- a truly amazing sight. It's the biggest flag I've ever seen, for sure!

My 3 favorite guys! Caleb was mesmerized as they put the flag up. When the Veterans were finished raising it, Caleb ran over and "turned" the lever himself. (It was already locked.) He looked up and said, "I think it went higher!"

(Caleb was actually born on Flag Day (June 14th) and has his own American flag in his room!)

Bring on the SNOW!

The Silver Lining

Marshma and Papa have headed south for the cold months, and we already miss their weekly visits. The day they left Caleb was excited to get out his map and track their journey, wanting to know where they were at all times. I think they were only in Bardstown, KY when he had to call and check on them!

While Caleb would MUCH rather have them in town, he is SUPER excited about the packages that will arrive frequently in the mail while they are gone. Apparently Marshma misses the boys too and can't help but to pick things up for them! :) I think she mailed one the first day she was there because the first package arrived on our doorstep the first week they were gone. The joy in Caleb's eyes tell the story!

We love and miss you SO much, Marshma & Papa! Counting down to April!

Luke Update

Luke is doing great these days! We've actually kept him out of the church nursery since a few weeks before Christmas and thankfully, he's been well since then. I haven't even had to wipe a nose in forever! ;) Now that he is an expert at crawling, he is getting into everything! Things Caleb (still to this day) hasn't touched are already being knocked off shelves. He's also pulling up- he can always get to his knees, but a few times a day he'll make it all the way up. Bless Caleb's heart, but his toys are no longer safe! Last week Luke destroyed the train table...

Now that he's pulling up in bed, I found this on his side rail! I love how the marks on the right perfectly show his 4 teeth. I don't love the marks, but if he's going to bite his bed, it might as well be a reminder of his cute, toothy grin these days! ;)

Thankfully, I had this bite guard put on his front rail a month ago so it only has one small bite mark. If he's going to use this bed growing up, I'd like to keep it nice!

Luke is sleeping awesome these days and eating like a little piggy! He's still our happy boy!

Matching Mohawks

Big Boy Time

PeePaw, Uncle Matt, and Uncle Drew love White Castle. Sadly, there are no White Castles in North Carolina, so each and every time that PeePaw comes to town, a few White Castle burgers are always on the menu. This Christmas was no exception, so one afternoon all the "big" boys went to have lunch together.

After lunch Caleb and PeePaw took Matt and Drew to their favorite park. Caleb made sure to grab a box of crackers to feed the ducks.

By the way, Caleb is NOT wearing a WVU toboggan. It's a Whitefield one. Whew- had to clarify that we were not sporting any Mountaineer gear. ;)