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.

4 Monkeys

There were 4 extra monkeys at the zoo today and their names
were Jes, Jackson, Jaden, and Caleb! We were so excited
that the Sikuras came to town today and met us at the zoo. The
boys were all so cute and loved looking at the animals. Caleb
was again very serious but did get super excited at one point...
when he saw the ceiling fans in the monkey exhibit. Yep. That's
right, and that's why we are saving the zoo pass until next year!

Our little monkeys

Jes gave lots of attention to Caleb throughout the day.

Notice Caleb in front of the elephants...picking wild flowers.

The (real) monkeys put on a show for us today. Caleb

was focused on getting more goldfish to munch on.

Finally something he was interested in- the Meercats.

And, Caleb's favorite part of the zoo- the FISH. Like father,

like son!

Cousins

Yesterday Caleb got to spend the day with his cousin Ava.
They had so much fun, especially outside on the splash pad.
Ava was a little unsure of it- she'd only put her feet on it and
mostly walked around the outside. But, they still had a blast!

What happens when Aunt Whitney spends the day with

Ava??? She gets her first ponytail!

I know this isn't a good picture, but I had to share the story

of the pink balloon...We all met at El Toro for dinner last

night and a lady came to her table on the other side of the

patio with a balloon. As soon as Caleb saw it he started

reaching for it and saying, "Ahhh. Eeehh." He did it long

enough (and loud enough) that she noticed and brought

him the balloon! I think he was very proud of his

persuasiveness.

Caleb Walking

I made the post about Caleb walking while I was at my grandparents
house, so I didn't have time to elaborate. But, I wanted to explain...

Caleb has been cruising around furniture for a few months now. About
two weeks ago he started taking 4, 6, and even 8 steps from one
thing to the next. I guess I was being hard on him, as Nikki so sweetly
pointed out, but I never recognized him as a "walker."

I just always said that he was "taking steps."

But, as his balance has improved, so did his walking. Since about
Wednesday, he has really taken off. You can see in the video that he

is walking around the room pretty well- that belly out and left arm up

high in the air. (We joked that he needs a backpack to balance out his

belly!)

We are so proud of our big boy! I'm sure he'll be running before August.

And he's off...

Fun (and Exhausting) Times!

Today we met Nikki and Madalyn at All About Kids for some

preschool playtime! Caleb and Madalyn both loved playing

on all the slides, in the clubhouse, and especially in the ball

pit. It was super fun, and exhausting, for both the babies and

mommies!

Trying to climb up the slide

We'll pretend that they were lovingly holding hands and not

trying to push the other off the slide! :)

"I think I can.."

and down he goes

All smiles

Caleb loved playing in the house! It was his favorite.

I think this face is telling me that we should go back again!

4th of July

What would the 4th of July be without a fireworks?!!
Caleb was very interested in all the lights and sounds...
He made his serious face the whole time. We were just
glad that he wasn't scared at all.

The Tradition Continues

Cumberland Lake has always been one of our favorite places,
and we've always tried to ALL go down on the big weekends of
the summer. While we missed Jeff, Kim, & family this 4th of
July weekend, we still had a great time. And, Caleb did great while
we were there! He liked riding on the boat, swimming in the lake,
and getting all the extra attention. He even took a nap IN MY ARMS
on the boat! (He hasn't napped in my arms since he was weeks
old- I loved every second of it!)

Caleb's first lake swim- thanks for being such a good sport,

Uncle Luke!

Cousins (I'm sure you can see why Caleb got so much

attention!)

Getting braver...

Having SO much fun!