Look Who’s 10!!

Holy cow – can you believe Emily is 10 years old today?!?  Has it really been 10 years since we became parents and commenced the most unpredictable, busy, and rewarding  journey of our lives?  WOW!

Emily is such a sweet and special girl.  We are so lucky to have her as our oldest kid.  She’s a great helper, and has even been babysitting for us a little bit lately.  She is a great friend to everyone around her, and she almost always has a smile on her face.  She is an awesome musician, especially on the piano, and she’s getting really good on the violin and guitar too.  She is a collector and quite an artist – her creativity seems to know no limits.  She is also a voracious reader.  Her class requirement to read 400 pages each month is a breeze for her!

I could go on and on – she’s just such a great girl!  Take a look at this cutie through the years.

We love you Emily!  You are a wonderful daughter and we are so blessed that you came to our home.  You are a great example to all of us.  We hope you have a great year!

The Adventures of Caleb, part XVIIVXX (or something like that)

Life with Caleb is seriously one adventure after another, full of never-ending questions, physical perils, food  discoveries, and rigid routines. 

Here’s an example of a conversation with Caleb:

C: “Where’s Dad?”

M: “At work.”

C: “Why?”

M: “So he can make money to pay our bills.”

C: “Why?”

M: “So we have a place to live and food to eat.”

C: “Why?”

…you can see where this is going.  And I’m sure most/all of you reading this have been there, done that.  Caleb just takes it all to the extreme.

But he comes up with some really great statements too, such as, “Alright you guys!  What’s going on in there?”, “Turn that TV off right now or you’re grounded!”, and “Go to timeout right now – 1…2…3…”  Where in the world does he come up with these things?!?!

Food is always an adventure.  Caleb continues to wear more of it than what he consumes.  And it’s really a lot of fun to scoop your food into your cup of water to see how it changes!  Oh, and the ever popular, “I HATE (fill in the blank) for dinner!”  I LOVE to hear that one from him!

Have you ever tried new uses for food items (other than just eating them)?  Upon cleaning him up after dinner the other day, I discovered broccoli in his ears.  “Caleb – why is there broccoli in your ears?”  “For earplugs mom!”  Now why didn’t I think of that one?!?!

Caleb is not very friendly with gravity.  It’s always sneaking up on him and grabbing him when he least expects it.  Knocking on wood…I’m amazed he’s missed the corner as many times as he has!

What would life be without routines?  In a word…simple.  No chasing down red blankies, stuffed giraffes, batman car, or whatever the fixation is at the time.  But, he sleeps.  And I’m old, and tired, and to the point of giving him whatever he wants if he’ll just be happy and sleep!!  And he does, and as soon as there’s a hint of sunlight, he’s up and at it all over again.  With those big, bright eyes leading the way!

What would life be like without Caleb?  Incomplete, dull, and definitely less humorous!

Under Construction...and the Primary Program

Please excuse the mess I've got going here. I got bored and decided to change things up a bit. Only problem is that I never have enough time to work on it. So be patient...things will be better soon!

On another note - today was our ward's Primary Program, and my first time participating as a chorister. It was amazing!! I always love the Primary Program - it is so simple, yet so profound. The kids always do so well, and today was no exception. As we were ready to start, the other chorister and I concluded that we were both extremely nervous (and it didn't help that the Stake President was there and sitting right next to me)! For me, though, the nervousness melted away as the kids sang the first song, "I Know that My Savior Loves Me." It always gives me chills to hear them sing that song (good chills). From that point on, I really enjoyed myself. Josh's part was telling about his baptism, and Emily's part was telling about the miracle of feeding the 5,000. They both did awesome, and I was so proud of them. We finished the meeting in perfect time, and the kids did a great job singing "Come Follow Me" for the closing song. When we were done, Pres. Cook turned to me and said, "How in the world do you get them to sing so well? Do you bribe them??" to which I responded, "I don't know. I guess they just like to sing!" In my book, that is SUCCESS!!