A Day at the Park

On Tuesday we decided to spend the day at the park before the heat wave was supposed to hit. It was a beautiful day and the boys had so much fun. Our neighbors, the Boltons, went too, so the boys had their buddies to play with. We took a picnic lunch and even brought extra bread and crackers to feed the ducks. It was a great, simple day.

Brody and Caleb, posing on the giant rock they climbed

Luke loves swinging and I love that he is confined to one spot. ;)

Jake tried out the swing for the first time and loved it.

Feeding the ducks may have been the highlight of the day.

Barrett's Birthday Party

Last Sunday we went to our neighbor, Barrett's, circus themed birthday party. They had yummy food, face painting, crafts, and even a cute photo booth. Happy 4th Birthday, Barrett!

The Birthday Boy

Caleb, Brody, and Barrett 

Caleb was very serious, and very still, as he got his face painted.

Trying to see his shark.

Silly boys! Brody & Caleb posing at the photo booth.

4 Year Old Checkup

Dear Caleb,

You did so well at your checkup and we are so proud of you!

You answered all of Dr. B's questions and you were even honest that you won't eat green vegetables.

While the task of peeing in a cup did cause you to be a little anxious, you were a rock star when it came time to get the shots. No fight. No tears. (You did request 2 suckers, and that only made sense since you got 2 shots.)

You weighed 36 and 1/2 pounds and 40 and 1/2 inches tall. It's so hard to believe.

We love you, Caleb!

Ava's Recital

A few weeks ago Caleb and I went to Ava's dance recital. While the recital lasted over two hours, we snuck in for the last 30 minutes to watch this beautiful little girl...



First Camping Trip

Last Saturday Creed took Caleb on his first camping trip! They went to Taylorsville Lake Campground and had the best time. Madalyn and her dad, Matt, went too, as well as Madalyn's cousin, Amber, and her dad. As Caleb would say it was a "Big boys and girls trip," meaning none of the younger siblings went. They had hotdogs for dinner and smores for dessert. They ran around and played, and stayed up way too late. I think there will be many more camping experiences in their future!

All ready to go!

Amber, Madalyn, and Caleb eating their dinner.

This kid was SO excited about smores!

I was sent this picture at 10:26pm with a text that said, "Still awake."  (We all paid for this the following day when Caleb broke down.)

An Afternoon at the Lake

Saturday we spent the afternoon at the lake with Grandmom and Grandpa. Aunt Paige and her friend Troy went too. This was Luke's first life jacket experience since last October, so I was a little nervous. But, in true Luke fashion, he was totally cool with it! Since it was pretty hot we spent most of the time swimming, and like years past, Caleb loved every second.

Posing on the back of the boat

When Luke wasn't swimming or napping, he was eating.

Our little lake rat

Ahhhh! This is the life! Nothing is better than a nap on the boat.

 (The reason he looks so ghostly is that I covered him in his zinc sunscreen, which doesn't really rub in that well.)

Happy Summer!

What's better than swimming with friends at the pool on these hot, summer days?

Sitting by the pool eating pretzels!

Vacation Bible School

Last week, Caleb went to "Kingdom Camp," a VBS program at Middletown Christian Church. It was each morning from 9 until 12, and he had so much fun learning new songs, making crafts, learning about Jesus, and playing with his friends. On the last day parents were invited to see all the kids sing the songs they learned.

Caleb, Madalyn, and David after the program

Coloring Mickey

Luke, are you coloring Mickey?

"Da."  (Yeah.)

He actually does a pretty good job of staying on the paper and seems to really like coloring.

An Interview at 4

Earlier this week I asked Caleb about his "favorites." I was cracking up at some of these answers because they are so random, and yet some, are so him!

What is your favorite...
snack? treats
fruit? watermelon
food? watermelon
dessert? fruit snacks
drink? Hawaiin Punch. Kool Aid, stuff like that. Sweets!
color? Blue
TV show? my favorite thing is a movie
Song? The Bible School Songs
place to eat? Mexican, actually sushi
toy? um, i don't know...ummm, the pirate thing
animal? tiger
store? CVS
book? I don't know...ummmm, i don't know! I just don't really know.
person to play with? Mommy
person to talk to on the phone? PeePaw
ice cream flavor? sorbet
place to go with Daddy? What do you think?! Sake Blue! and Donut Shop
place to go with Mommy? museum

His interview at 2 1/2  http://www.calebcreedfowler.blogspot.com/2011/06/interview-at-3.html

His interview at 3  http://www.calebcreedfowler.blogspot.com/2010/10/calebs-favorites.html

Caleb's Day

For Caleb's actual birthday, we let him plan the day. After breakfast I made him watch TV in our room which we set up his big gift from us, "Pirate Island." He loved it and now spends a lot of time in his room playing.

(If you google it you'll find horrible reviews, yet all of the reviews say "the kids love it!" Parents are not so fond because it is so hard to put together and because they let four year old write the directions. ;) I think I could win an Olympic sport in putting kid stuff together at this point!)

Later that morning we headed to one of our favorite parks for some fun in the sun!

Caleb would have stayed at this water cannon all day!

For dinner Caleb chose Sake Blue, and he was adament that we sat at the grill. He's been begging to go for a while now, so we weren't shocked when this was at the top of his list. He was really cute eating his California Roll with the kid chopsticks. He also loved the show that the chef put on.

This little guy LOVED eating there too. He devoured a plate of fried rice, eating with both hands. He also ate every single piece of carrots and broccoli off my plate. Such a little piggy!

We told Caleb that he would have a suprise guest at dinner- He was shocked when Grandma Beth walked in the door!

After dinner we had some family over for cake and pie. Caleb's request-  A black raspberry chip ice cream cake from Graeters, and it had to be "the kind with the gold coin."  He's my kind of kid and knows what he wants! I also picked up a Dutch apple pie from the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen- amazing!

Playing pirates with Ava 

And he tried out his new roller skates from Marshma and Papa- hilarious to see, trust me! 

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday, Sweet FOUR year old, Caleb!

We love you! 

Father's Day

We hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day!

 Yesterday Creed took Papa fishing all morning and apparently the fish were on because we had an awesome fish fry last night. There is nothing better than fresh fish, fried to perfection! Add some of Marshma's mac & cheese and baked apples- YUM!

Here's a shot of the boys before church yesterday morning. I thought they looked especially cute!

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Happy 4th Birthday, Caleb!

You are one of the most amazing people I have ever met!

You pay special attention to the details in life, and always remember them. There is no getting anything past you, that's for sure.

You love, love, love to talk, especially to adults who will hold a conversation with you. Your Sunday School teachers always tell us how you talked the entire time you were there and they feel like they know us- there is no telling what you say!

You are a creature of habit and love your routines. You still sleep with your "ocean sounds" that we turned on the first day you can home from the hospital. You also sleep with your nightlight on and fall asleep to a lullaby CD that we got when you first transitioned to sleeping in your room. At night we always read books, have cuddle time, and then hug time and kiss time. Nothing can be left out, and it needs to occur in that order. (You also have a new love for mouthwash and use it many times a day. At first you always smiled and looked in the mirror asking, "Are my teeth sparkling?" Oh, the power of advertisement!) At this point you go to bed between 8:30 and 9:30 and always come downstairs between 7 and 7:15 in the morning. You have a clock in your room and you know it must have a 7 before you can come downstairs. Sometimes I wonder how long you've been up! You still take naps most days, usually about 1 1/2 hrs, although I've let you skip some recently and you've done fine.

You love to play with guys (action figures) and we see your imagination run wild. Recently you've developed a love of pirates and Peter Pan, yet Captain Hook is probably your favorite. You always want to be him! (We are hoping it's not a bad thing that you want to be the villain.) You also still love to build things with your snap blocks (Trio building sets) and Legos. Playing restaurant is also a favorite. You always take our order and "cook" something in your kitchen. We play fast food drive thru a lot and you always ask, "Do you need any sauce with your order?" That cracks me up!

Recently you have decided that playing with friends is way better than playing by yourself, and you even went to a friend's house for the first time without me. While you were only two houses down from ours, it was still a big deal to me.

You say the most grown up things sometimes! My favorite is always when you say,

"Call me if you need anything." (You usually tell people this as you are leaving their house.)

You are the best big brother that Luke could ever ask for. I know you two will have knock down, drag out fights at some point, but right now, I'm cherishing your interactions. While he does bother you, especially the excessive drool, you are so patient, loving, and accepting of him. You offer to "watch" him for me while I need to do something and always look out for his safety. Even today before his nap you walked over to him, hugged and kissed him, saying, "Have a good nap Luke. Sweet dreams." You know how to melt your Momma's heart.

Speaking of melting my heart, you now give lots of hugs, kisses, and at least daily say, "I love you, Mommy." You are also quick to tell me that I am a mean Mommy and that I won't let you do anything sometimes. :) Sometimes you even count and threaten to put me in time out or not let me have a Diet Coke if I don't meet your request. I can't help but to laugh.

You love to sit on the couch an watch TV  (Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Octonauts, and Doc McStuffins are recent requests) or movies (Ice Age, Monsters Inc., Toy Story) but also love to get outside to run and play.

You are not a big eater, although sometimes you'll clean your plate and ask for more. You love popcorn, fruit, chicken nuggets, tacos, fish sticks, and dessert. You got your sweet tooth from your Daddy and you have your favorites. You always want Graeter's ice cream- specifically their raspberry sorbet. (We actually cut most dairy out of your diet in April and your tummy seems to be much happier!) Today I told you that I wanted to take you out to breakfast and you decided on Waffle House...

I loved every second of your breakfast birthday date. You also decided that for your birthday you wanted to go to the park, go to the pool, and have Sake Blue for dinner. Your wish is our command! :)

We love you more than words, sweet Caleb. If I could, I would keep you this age forever!

You are the best!

And, no matter how big you get, you'll always be Mommy's baby!

The Tree House

For the past few weeks, Grandmom and Grandpa have spent the majority of their time working on a shared gift for Caleb and Luke. I actually had to the keep the boys away from their house for about a week until the big reveal. Caleb and Luke are now the proud owners of a really cool tree house! It's about 99% finished, just waiting on shingles to match the new roof Grandmom and Grandpa are getting on their house, thanks to the recent hail storm. Inside you'll find containers of fun toys, bubble gum, and treats.  We are still on the look out for a couple of little chairs for the deck. :)

Last night Caleb wanted to eat his dinner in the tree house so I packed his lunchbox and we headed over there. Grandmom was quick to climb up and play with them! I only had my cell phone, so the pictures aren't great, but you can still see the huge grins on the boys' faces!

Caleb's Pirate Party

On Saturday Caleb had his 4th birthday party with his little friends at the park. He wanted a pirate theme, and I think all the kiddos had a great time playing on the playground.

Capt. Caleb and Madalyn

 The impossible task of lighting candles on a breezy day (We gave up!)

Kaden and Caleb

 (Kaden was in Caleb's preschool 2s and 3s class.)

Pirate Jackson

Taking a swing at his pinata

Cousin Eli made me a little nervous with his swing! ;)

Go Hayden!

 Brody took a good whack at it!

After all the kids took a turn with no luck, I helped it along a little.

Brother had his first juice box at the party.
He L-O-V-E-D it!

And then he crashed! (Grandmom took full advantage of his exhaustion and cuddled for a while!)

Opening presents is a serious business! I love the look on their faces as they study the gift.

Capt. Caleb crashed on the way home! Sweet (almost) FOUR year old. 

**My camera's memory card was full- thank you, thank you, thank you, Nikki, for getting all these great pictures!