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!

Just Chilling Out

I've decided that Luke's life isn't completely stress free. He can't get toys to work like Caleb does, the cups never seem to stack and fit into each other the right way, and he falls a lot, with numerous bruises to show for it. Luke isn't allowed in Caleb's room most of the time due to the elaborate Lego buildings or pirate adventures that take place in there, and he isn't allowed to snack all day long. The baby gates always close in front of him and the cabinets have locks to keep him out. It's hard being 18 months old!

 

We only let Luke have his pacifier and blanket at bedtime (recently we've let him take it to church to keep him from putting germ filled toys in his mouth) but he's figured out how to get each out of his bed when he's in his room. The other day I was cleaning Caleb's room and thought Luke was playing in his room. Instead, he was clearly just chilling out. A much needed relaxation time with all that stress in his life. :)

Recently...

The last two weeks have flown by and I realized it was time to share some of the recent phone pictures I've snapped.

 

Luke is so happy to be outside. He loves pushing his Caleb's lawnmowers up and down the sidewalks and always wants to play on the slide.

Caleb was dancing around the driveway using an umbrella as a prop. (I was laughing so hard I could barely keep my phone still to take a picture.) He explained that one of his shows (Olivia) has an episode where she taps with an umbrella. ;)

Oh, this boy. He is so happy UNLESS he is refused food. On this particular occasion I scolded him for eating popcorn out of the garbage. Yes, you read that correctly.

A few Saturdays ago Caleb went to Sydney's (his next door neighbor) 4th birthday party at All About Kids. He had a blast!

My space! My calendar and number line are hidden because the student was taking a math assessment that required him to write his numbers but other than that I'm basically done organizing. And, they've ordered a kidney-shaped table for me to use so I'm waiting for that to come in. Hopefully I'll be able to start pulling my groups this week!

Our Family

Caleb is not one to sit down and draw or color, so  imagine my surprise when he sat down this week and made his first family picture. We think it's a priceless work of art!