1st Soccer Game

September 15th was Caleb's first soccer game and it went okay. We had to remind ourselves that at that point, Caleb had never even seen a soccer game so he had no idea what was going on. He, along with the majority of his teammates simply ran around the field "chasing" the ball while a few (obviously "old" 5 year olds) took the ball down the field and scored.

 

Break time! Whew- they were exhausted from all that running!

Because of the David Beckham like little girl on Caleb's team, they won by quite a few goals, but who's counting?! I thought the team high fives were pretty cute!

And this little guy was a great fan, as long as his snack bag was kept full!

He's a Mess!

He's a big mess, but a cute, lovable, and smiley mess!

 

That would be mayo holding the bread and turkey in place.

Why our bathroom door is supposed to always be closed...

Speaking of this little mess...

On September 10th we had a BIG milestone around here- Luke went happily to bed WITHOUT his pacifier and has been paci-free since. So far we are 2-2 for getting rid of pacifiers without tears in this house!



18 Month Checkup

Yesterday Luke had his 18 month checkup and he did great. He weighed 24 pounds, 12 ounces (30th) and was 33 inches tall (60th.)

 

To pass the time (after his Goldfish ran out), we played a little Where is Lukes...

 

Where is Luke's belly?

Where are Luke's eyes?

Where is Luke's mouth?

Where is Luke's hair?

Where are Luke's toes?

Those aren't toes! Those are fingers. Where are your toes?

That's right, sweet boy!

The Gaslight Parade

Last Thursday Luke and I met our neighbors, the Lathams, at J-Town's annual Gaslight Parade. I remember going to the Gaslight growing up, so it's a tradition that we've tried to continue with the boys.

 

Colin, Barrett, and Luke waiting patiently

After Taylorsville Road was closed, we let the boys out so they could walk around. Barrett was SO sweet and loving towards Luke!

Where was Caleb???

 

 Well, earlier that day Creed decided that he would drive a car for Bachman in the parade and Caleb could ride along. Apparently they needed a car for one of the city councilmen to ride on. After lining up prior to the parade, we found out that the city councilman actually had a friend show up to drive him. But, since they were already there and lined up, Caleb decided to be the main attraction!

By the end of the parade, he was waving with both hands!

While he was in line with the mayor and city councilmen, we think Caleb stole the show!

The future mayor? Maybe!

Luke loved the parade, especially the big tractors

and firetrucks! (And maybe he can ride in the parade next year?!)

Caleb's Tree

It's kind of hard to see, but last week Caleb planted his very own tree. While I was working on my flower beds, he apparently tore a small limb off of one of our trees and planted it in the middle of our front yard. He was really proud of his work and told me that his tree would "grow and grow and grow!" Sadly, he had to learn the hard way about the purpose of roots! 

Luke & Mommy Time

Luke and I have two mornings together each week while Caleb is in school and I cherish our one on one time together. On Mondays we are doing a gymnastics class together, and while we usually run errands on Wednesdays, I still try to find something fun to do. Since there is a park about one mile from Caleb's school, it is the perfect place to play for a few minutes before it's time to get in carpool line.

 

This is one of my very favorite pictures of this sweet baby!

Jefferson Memorial Forest

Last Sunday evening we decided to explore Jefferson Memorial Forest and met cousin Ava, Erika, and Grandma Kathy there too. We stumbled upon a trail and decided to follow it...without knowing anything about it. It was actually great- Caleb and Ava walked the whole way and Luke even got to walk himself when it was safe. There were times we got a little nervous, but thankfully everything turned out great and one and a half hours later we ended up at a picnic area that had a playground. At one point on the trail we passed three "real" hikers with backpacks, special water bottles, and crazy hiking shoes. Mind you Ava is walking in leather sandals and at the time I had an 18 month old on my hip. They either thought we were really tough or really crazy! :) It was a great evening and we will definitely go back (better prepared!)

 

A perfect spot along the trail for a picture

When the trail flattened out Luke was able to get down and walk, which he loved. You can see Ava and Caleb in the distance leading the way.

The kids loved checking out the turtle that we found.

It's so great watching these two together. They get along so well now!

Luke was SO happy and content on the trail that he went almost 2 hours without eating anything- a new record for him!

Celebrating Caroline

Last week we celebrated Caroline's 4th birthday at Awesome Outdoor Products. (It's an indoor warehouse in Middletown that has all of the playground equipment for sale AND they let kids play there.) To say the boys had fun would be an understatement- they LOVED every second that we were there. Caroline was precious, as usual, and we were so happy to celebrate with her!

 

A view of the play structures.

The sweet birthday girl!

Luke sat still (for a short moment) in the ball pit.

Caleb was all over the place, so much that I couldn't get any good pictures. I was able to get a quick shot while he walked around in his special "tall shoes."

This little guy kept up with the 4 year olds, that's for sure!

Package from PeePaw

The boys were SO excited to get a package from PeePaw! It's the little things...

Giddy Up!

On Labor Day we always try to make it to Familypalooza at Southeast Christian Church. Because of the weather this year we ended up going later in the afternoon, which turned out great because it wasn't too crowded. The highlight of the afternoon was definitely the pony rides. Both boys had so much fun!

Puzzle Time

Recently Caleb has taken an interest in working puzzles, and I've been very impressed with the progress he's made. He has a few 24 piece puzzles that he can work without any help and last week while I was making dinner, he finished his Spiderman 48 piece puzzle all by himself. I was very impressed and so proud of him for working it so patiently.

Proud of his work!