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!

The Zoo!

We took advantage of the cooler weather and low humidity
and headed to the zoo with Nikki and Madalyn today. This
was actually Caleb's first trip- I spent a full week at the zoo
with my 4th graders while I was pregnant and haven't been
too excited to go back. But, today was great! Caleb was very
serious as he studied the animals, but I think he liked it.
Madalyn was so cute- she loved making the animals noises.
Apparently a tiger says, "meow."

Thanks for the invite, Nikki & Madalyn! We had a great time!

We got really close to the giraffes as they were eating.

We thought Caleb's new monkey shirt was perfect for

the zoo. (Thanks, Barrett!)

An Experience

Last night we decided to take Caleb to Cunningham's on
the River for dinner BY BOAT. I was nervous because he
hasn't been on the boat for more than just a few minutes,
and the Ohio River is rough. I just didn't want him to be
scared. The trip started out great, even though the River
was super rough. Caleb sat calmly on my lap and seemed
to enjoy the bumpy & wet (It was so rough that when we'd
hit a wave water sprayed up and over the boat!) ride.

Harrod's Creek is a no wake zone, and Caleb was DONE
sitting on my lap, so I let him sit on the little step in front of
us.


He even enjoyed a cracker...




Dinner was awesome. My Mom, Kevin, & Paige met us
down there,and helped entertain Caleb.



You'll notice that my pictures stop after dinner. That is because
Caleb was a holy terror on the ride back to the ramp. As we
idled down Harrods Creek, he screamed because I wouldn't
let him crawl around the front of the boat. People at Captain's
Quarters and on others boats were laughing at us! As we made
our way out onto the main river, I obviously put him in my lap for
the bumpy ride. That really ticked him off...He screamed, flailed
his arms, arched his back, and kicked his legs the entire way
back to the ramp. He even spit his passie into the river he was
crying so hard. But, we made it. Hopefully 4th of July at the lake
will be better. (It couldn't get much worse!)

Splash Pad

Caleb got a super fun splash pad for his birthday, thanks to
his Grandma Kathy and Aunt Erika. He seems to have a lot
of fun, although I think it took him a while to take it all in!

His favorite thing to do...drink the water!