Potty Training

Well, we finally took the leap and have started to potty train Caleb. We sent Aidan to grandma's (which was a HUGE help) and spent last Friday and Saturday being pretty intensive with the training. Unfortunately, Caleb caught a touch of his brother's cold and was not very attracted to liquids, despite all the salty food we gave him! He drank way less than normal, and only peed 4 times all day. 3 accidents and 1 success. It was kinda frustrating since we were taking him every 15 minutes or so all day. But he was a trooper, and had a good attitude regardless, other than a couple "I don't wanna use the potty" glitches. Saturday was a little better, only one accident, but still only a couple successes because he just didn't go! The nice thing though, we caught #2 in time and he did that on the potty that day! Hooray!
I stayed home from church Sunday to keep with it, plus the boys were too mucusy to send to the nursery anyway... And lo and behold, it seemed to click. We have not had an accident since then (as of now; Tue. night). The only thing is he hasn't told me yet when he needs to go, I just take him every hour or hour and a half and he makes himself go. (the couple of times he has told me he needs to go have been stalling tactics, get out of bed tactics, or visit a new public bathroom tactic, but basically false alarms). Although he did wake up crying at 12:45 AM last night, screaming, "I have to go potty!" And he did, quite a lot. Hmm... I am still putting him in Pull-ups for trips out in public, I'm just not ready for the hassle. About half the time he's stayed dry and clean in those though... And we use those for naps and at night.... Its a learning curve I guess. We'll see how the next few weeks go. I just refuse to have 4 kids in diapers! and I'm already thinking of the money we've saved just over the last 4 days! :)
We're so proud of our big boy! (and those little underwear look SO cute! We haven't graduated to the boxer briefs yet, but even so, very darling...)

Aidan loves Malachi

Aidan is infatuated with our cat, our evil cat, Malachi. So far, Malachi seems a little intrigued with the attention, and has behaved himself or, most often, just run away. Yesterday though, I caught the cutest scene. Aidan was playing down the hall, and I noticed it had gotten awfully quiet. I peeked down there to see the hallway closet door open (where the kitty litter/food is), and I could tell Aidan was sitting behind it. I also saw Malachi right there, and him actually tolerating little hand reaching out and petting (okay, kinda harshly petting) him. As I poked my head around the door, there was Aidan, with the dry cat food dish in his lap, cat food all over. He'd figured out how to get the kitty to accept him; with food! It was quiet a cute scene, even though I think Aidan had probably chomped a few pieces also...

Halloween 2006

Caleb LOVED Halloween this year! It made the night SO fun! When I brought the costume downstairs around 4:00pm, he was SO excited he HAD to put it on right then. (and a week ago I was afraid he'd be scared to wear it).
Once he had it on, he wanted to watch "Peter Pan". And as soon as Daddy got home, he was ready to go "trick or treating". I'd been explaining the concept to him for the past few days, but wasn't sure if he got it. Oh yeah, he understood. :) We went to a few houses (him practically running with glee between houses) and then to the church carnival. He LOVED playing the games there, and putting candy in his pumpkin, etch. He loved bouncing in the bounce house also. His enthusiasm was so precious. He and Aidan looked SO cute. Of course they were oohed and ahhed over by many adoring fans (esp. grandma) :) . It was a very fun night. One of those times when I was in tears with so much joy thinking about how these are the moments I have always looked forward to, and God has blessed me so incredibly.
My favorite part came when we got home, and I was being silly, talking to him with a bad english accent as if he were Peter Pan, and he answered, also in an attempted bad english accent, "thank you, Wendy". Playing along and improvising totally on his own! Very cute!

twins?

I haven't got around to blogging much about the twins yet, but had to share this. We picked up our new van today, an amazing blessing. I had been talking it up with Caleb, and he was very excited to ride in it. Once we were on the road, he said in an excited voice, "Yay, let's go see the twins!". It took me a second to figure out that when I had been talking about the van with him I told him it was "for the twins", and his mind didn't quite grasp that. How absolutely sweet and adorable though, that he was so excited thinking he was going to get to meet them today!

Banana Moon

Just a quick cute moment from tonight... I took Caleb grocery shopping with me, and in the car on the way there he started talking about a banana. Finally I realized he was saying, "look, a banana moon", because it was a crescent moon. How cute is that?

Camping

We were so excited to take the boys camping for the first time at the end of August. El Capitan State Beach Campground is a wonderful facility located very close to the shore. Our new 3-room tent worked wonderfully, with the boys sleeping better than we even expected. Caleb loved his inflatable spaceship sleeping bag/bed, and Aidan slept in the pack-n-play. We stayed 3 nights. Caleb loved being outdoors, favorite memories include; climbing a tree with daddy, playing with this cool stick he found, having a tree frog jump on his arm, feeding the blue jays, standing on the rocks as the waves splashed in, eating s'mores, playing with the flashlights, sitting in his own little fold-up chair, hearing the train pass by on the nearby tracks, gazing at the stars while lying on a blanket, and hiking around proudly in his new "Diego" boots. Mommy loved waking up in the tent, with each child joining us to cuddle on our air mattress as they awoke. We also got to visit the Santa Barbara Zoo one afternoon, with the highlight of feeding the giraffes.

Go Diego Go

Caleb's become a huge fan of the cartoon "Go Diego Go". Diego is the boy cousin of "Dora the Explorer". He had watched Dora with his friend Hailey, and really liked it. I thought it was well done (lots of interactive learning), but wasn't sure about him liking a girlish cartoon. Lucky for us, they started this spin-off recently, and he loves it! Diego is an Animal Rescuer. They've just started really marketing him too. I didn't think I'd ever buy "character" shoes/clothing. But, I caved. He loves his "Diego Shoes" so much, and luckily, they're done pretty well as cute hiking boots. Grandma Joy bought him a cute Diego shirt. He got to wear both to Hailey's Dora Party. I love seeing his enthusiasm!

strange but true

Caleb had a strange middle of the night request on Friday night. I woke up to him calling, "Mommy, Mommy" around 4 AM. When I went into his room, he very lucidly asked for a "bible story". So I stumbled through one, and then left him to go back to sleep. I just thought it was so funny that he had in mind exactly what he wanted, and that's what it was.

Water Ski Trip

Last week we got to enjoy some time out on Lake Havasu for the HS Water Ski Trip. Caleb loved the lake, and the boat, and the "waves" that made the boat go "bump". He even got to ride on the banana boat with daddy! It was very hot there of course, but even Aidan did well. He loved being in the water! We are so fortunate that our kids get experiences like this, and that they have so many high school students who adore them. Caleb was in his element; getting tons of attention.

Summer Camp

Last week, we got to spend the week up at Hume Lake with students. It was a bit exhausting with the boys, but also very fun. Caleb got to swim in the pool (and even jump off the diving board), hike around the lake, and go in a rowboat. I loved that he got to "be a boy" and be outdoors so much. He played with dirt, rocks, and sticks, and got quite a few scrapes and bruises, including his biggest gooseegg yet, on his forehead when he fell on the pavement the first day there.

Bubble Gum

Last week Caleb was introduced to his first piece of bubble gum. I sat down and had a piece, demonstrating how to chew and not swallow. We talked all about it first, then I nervously gave him his piece. He did great! It was SO cute to see that bulge in his cheek as he worked on chewing it... I made him stay right by me until he was done, which was about 5 minutes, then he spit it out in the wrapper, just like I had shown him. I don't think we're ready to try it in the car yet (where he usually sees Mommy have it and asks for some), but it was a good beginning. My little boy is growing up. When do I start finding bugs in his pockets?

oatmeal

Most mornings, Caleb eats oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast. (some of the healthiest food he eats, so I try not to stray from the habit). Yesterday, as I gave him the oatmeal he said, "hot?", which it sometimes is, so I checked and then said, "no, its just warm", and he responded with "warm and cozy". (which is the phrase we use when he's wrapped up in his towel after a bath). Very cute!

Doctor Appt.

Caleb had his 2 year check up last week. He is almost 3 feet tall and weighs 27 lbs. He was very good while we were there and was very polite to the doctor and nurse. He didn't even cry when he got a shot! What a big boy!!!

Swim Lessons

This week and last, Caleb's been taking swim lessons (a parent/child class) at Chaffey College. He was a bit apprehensive at first, but has really grown a lot more comfortable in the water. He's become very good at jumping in off the edge! They have a cute little song we sing and he does it along with everyone, hand motions and singing too. Very cute. I'm very proud of him!

He also thoroughly enjoyed himself at the high school pool party last night. Daddy had him in the pool for most of the night. Even Aidan enjoyed being in the water for about 30 minutes.

I scare you!

Lately, when Caleb gets startled, especially some days when I open his bedroom door after a nap, he says, "I scare you!", instead of "you scared me!" Very cute!

First Tooth!

Aidan was very grumpy this morning... and after lunch I discovered his first tooth!!! Hooray! It's not one of the normal "first" ones either, its on the bottom left. I guess he's really going to be someone who goes against the flow!

Hug Me

Last night when Grandma came to babysit, Caleb greeted her as she walked in the door by saying a phrase rather adamantly, only we couldn't figure it out at first. Finally, he got down and walked toward her and we understood. He was saying, "hug me!". How's that for a greeting? What a sweetheart!!!

Catching up...

Its been a long while... and I'll probably miss some key/cute things that have happened, but I'll do my best...
First a scary one... the Monday before we went to PA, I took the boys to this neat Kid's Beach (Seaside Lagoon) in Redondo Beach with some friends. Unfortunately, while there, we had a heart-stopping experience when I looked up from settling Aidan in the sand, to see Caleb tripping in the knee deep water. He choked on several mouthfuls before I got to him (he was too panicked to regain his footing). He was okay, but quite shaken, as was I... For the rest of the day, he didn't want much to do with the water. And has been talking about the incident repeatedly ever since. "I fall in the water"... We remind him that he was just like Captain Feathersword in his video, and that mommy was right there, and that he was okay... I think reinventing the memory has started to help... And yesterday, he actually went swimming with Uncle Andy and loved it... So that was a huge relief...

It was so fun to see him get reacquainted with his PA family... He had a lot of fun there and still asks for them almost daily, even for Chewy.

A few new things he started saying... "See you Later", "How you doing?" (sounding a lot like Joey from friends) (and when you respond and ask him how he's doing, he says "doing good".) One fave new word is "interesting". And he has started randomly breaking into the "if you're happy and you know it" song...
He LOVED being the center of attention for his birthday! He adored being sung to, and still sings the happy birthday song to himself now and then. He loved opening presents, eating cupcakes, etc... what a party animal!

Grandma Joy took him to see a bunch of Harley Motorcycles, which excited him to no end, and last night, he got to sit on several motorcycles at Andy's house.

Aidan's newest feats...

he is rolling over; every which way... (from a little over 3 months), and is even starting to sit up with support from the boppy, or his arms (tripod style). He seems to be advancing thru milestones more quickly than Caleb did.

He started rice cereal, and loves it, but of course, he's quite an eater...

He recently found his toes, and will reach for/grab anything in sight, esp. my hair.

I think he's teething... as he has not been quite himself lately... poor guy...

Clever minds remember much...

Sometimes I just wonder how Caleb's little mind recalls so much; especially the little things I don't even intentionally reinforce... (yet he still hasn't got his colors down completely, and I've been working on that!)
Yesterday, upon seeing some candles on TV, he says, "Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to you". Also, we drove to the Dollar Tree, which is right by the library, and he said, "story? story?".
His newest thing is always wanting to pray aloud himself, after we pray with him. He usually says, 'Dear God, thank you for this food, Amen' Not a bad start! :)
Aidan has started screeching/squealing with glee, very loudly! He woke up yesterday morning doing it, and has barely stopped since! He has found his voice!!! I think he just might have more of an outgoing, social personality than the rest of us in this family... Could he be an otter? Time will tell... My newest nickname for him is Shamu.... yes, because he's a tank, but also because of how he sticks his tongue out so much, especially when he smiles, it reminds me of a killer whale...

Caleb is...

SO excited about seeing airplanes, helicopters, motorcycles, or fire trucks. He screams in a high pitch, and his whole body shakes with glee as he screeches the name of whatever it is he has spotted. Very cute.

Aidan is...

cooing like crazy and starting to laugh with this infectuous little giggle. His whole body moves with excitement as well. Very, very cute...

baseball

Caleb is in an "I adore baseball" stage... This has been brought on by seeing a couple of Andrew Acker's games, and then going to a Quakes Game last Monday night. Todd even gave him a foul ball that he caught, and Caleb has hardly let it out of his sight since. He has even developed a very cute pitching wind-up that includes lifting his foot off the ground all funny like. And he has quite the arm, honestly. I really think there is a lot of natural athletic ability in this kid.

Another funny thing... Last week one day, after putting him down for a nap, I was sitting here on the computer and I heard, "Amy? Amy?" Sure enough, he was calling out to me by my first name! He wanted his blankie, which I gave him, along with instructions to only call me "mommy". It was pretty funny though, and I haven't heard it since...

a few more things

Last Monday we went to Disneyland! Caleb was very excited about going! Funny how we can impress that excitement on such a young mind, even before he could possibly have any idea what he was getting excited about. He did great there, and we got passes so we look forward to going many more times! Hooray!

Daddy has heard Caleb sing pretty much the whole ABC song through, but he hasn't done it for me yet...

He has been very well-behaved lately... He kinda goes thru cycles, but lately, we're enjoying an obedient attitude! So proud!

He's starting to realize that when we laugh at him, he's being funny. So he starts to try to repeat things that have made us laugh in the past. One funny thing is that in his fave book, "Is Your Mama a LLama?, in which he usually completes the rhymes... (Example, Oh, I said, you are right about that, I think your mama sounds more like a... bat.) But now, he thinks its hilarious (and it kinda is) to complete each one with the word "cowboy". Crazy kid.

the moon is so bright

Last night on the way home from church (where my boys posed as two ADORABLE cowboys for theme night), Caleb pointed out the moon from the car window. So he watched it and we talked about it all the way home. Anyway, this morning when I got him up, the first thing he said was, "the moon is so bright", then, "where did it go?", followed by, "I find it." as he looked out the window. He repeated the same sequence after his nap as well. So cute! The things that stick in their heads!

We love bargains!

The kid's club at the Mills featured a juggler today. Caleb really likes when his daddy juggles, so he was really looking forward to this. Our friends, the Jensens, were there too, and it was extra fun to enjoy the morning together. Sheri has three young children (she's my hero for getting out and about with all three!). Catherine and Bryce were very cute playing and watching out for Caleb, at TCP and at the Chick-Fil-A playplace.
One of my favorite things to do is to find a good bargain. I love to hit sales, save coupons, watch clearance racks, yard sale, and treasure hunt at the thrift store. Its my way to feed my shopping sweet tooth without spending too much money. Anyway, today, we got hats at TCP for about 40 cents. What a steal! Of course I bought about 8; in different sizes and styles, and some for friend's birthdays...
I love how Caleb can anticipate and remember things now... I love telling him in the morning what we are going to do that day, and watch him process the info. He almost always brings up what I told him as we load into the car, and/or arrive at our destination. Today, when I pulled thru the drive-thru ATM, he says "chicken stars?". He recognized a drive-thru and thought we were at Carls! Granted, those are his favorite type of chicken nugget, but he's honestly only had them about 4 times ever, and only once in a drive-thru! Funny!
Another funny thing he's doing lately is calling the sun or the moon the, "moon-sun". Its like he got tired of distinguishing between the two, so he just lumped them together. Its silly, but cute. It's funny how as his language develops, he starts to create short-cuts for some words, sometimes coming up with a word that sounds less advanced than the original one.
He has been so sweet with Aidan lately. He loves to be near him, and to try to give him the pacifier. Aidan usually responds with a big smile.
Aidan found his thumb yesterday, and seemed to love it. I think if he can figure it out on a more consistent basis, we might have a real thumb-sucker on our hand... Hmm... Not sure how I feel about that.

One more thing... I've caught Caleb singing to himself a few times lately, and its so cute! His favorites include "Old MacDonald" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes".

Latest happenings...

Last Tuesday we met the Ansiels at the Natural History Museum in LA. We enjoyed the free access to the museum, esp. the kids discovery center. Then, after a picnic lunch in the rose garden, we got to experience a butterfly exhibit. Caleb loved that! He kept saying "butterfly" over and over!

Wednesday, Dorothy came for a visit and got to meet Aidan. She also spoiled me with a day of shopping at the Mills, followed by lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, which Caleb loved.

On Saturday, we attended a birthday party for Tyler Holland at a park, and then had lunch with the Ansiels. On the way home, we stopped by a Cinco De Mayo festival for a $1 pony ride! Caleb loved it!

Today we are taking it easy around home, it has been so busy lately!

what we've been up to lately...

So busy...
Last Thursday, we got to spend the day at the LA Zoo with Daddy. Caleb enjoyed seeing the animals, and kept saying " 'nother one" after each exhibit. Aidan slept the whole time!
Friday, I met a friend, Sarah Foster, for lunch. It was fun having her see my boys for the first time! Friday night, (and Wednesday night), we watched the Laker playoff game at the Linton's. Caleb loved the attention he got from everyone, esp. Jeff. He loved to shout "Kobe" at the screen, also.
Saturday the guys from our small group helped Weston tear apart the old pool and put up a new one. Hailey came and played with Caleb also. In the evening, we attended the Lemon Festival in downtown Upland.
After church Sunday, we got the privilege of visiting with Alice and Steve Tullis, who were down from TX, over lunch.
Monday, we spent the morning at Victoria Gardens for a mom's club function, although we mainly just spent time with Brandy and Hailey, which was great! It led to another fun lunch at Round Table, and a later outing at the park. Weston is gone at staff retreat tonight, so it was good to keep busy!
My favorite moment today came during dinner. I accidently dropped the spoon and spilled some sauce on me and I guess I made a wierd "Pff" sound in annoyance. It cracked Caleb up. He laughed SO hard, and of course then I kept doing it. We laughed and laughed for a long time, just absolutely enjoying each other and the moment. There is nothing that beats sharing times like that with your child...

Caleb has starting counting higher and higher! He can now count to ten! We started a fun game in the car today, and I was amazed he caught on so quickly. We take turns saying the numbers from one to ten. (I say one, he says two, I say three, he says four...etc)

Monday we met the Ansiels and Hankins at a park in Upland for some fun playtime, and then we had lunch at Maniac Mike's at the Cable Airport! So fun! Caleb LOVED watching the airplanes take off and land. He got SO excited and a tad impatient in between planes. He kept saying, "another airplane?" He also learned to distinguish between a motorcycle sound and an airplane sound. He was very infatuated with the word motorcycle all day, and had fun pointing them out on the way home.

Tuesday we played at Rosena Park for 2 hours! Caleb did great, and as there was a light crowd, he became a bit more adventurous! He even did the big slide on his own!

He's also become a fan of golf, thanks to Daddy playing a Tiger Woods Golf game on XBox. I finally found a play golf club at the Dollar store, and he adores his new toy...

Wednesday, today, we played at the park again, this time with Hailey. Then we had a Mom's Club Meeting, followed by lunch with Hailey and Carissa (and their moms, of course) at Round Table. Its so nice to spend the morning out and about, and to arrive home just in time for a long nap!

More about Caleb

Just a couple of more cute, and not so cute, things about Caleb...
* Yesterday, when I was brushing his hair as he sat on the bathroom counter, he said, "other Caleb" and pointed in the mirror. Cute!
* A few months ago he started his guitar fascination. He loves them! We had an old one in the house for awhile that he loved to play (until it got way too annoying and we hid it in the garage... but I did get him a kid one to play whenever...). When he sees one somewhere else, in a picture, or a youth group, he goes crazy... And even when he hears one on the radio, he says 'guitar'.
* Lately, with the warmer weather, we've gotten to play outside more often. He LOVES it! Especially his basketball hoop on the patio... And blowing bubbles, and riding on the bicycle with daddy! Now that he is getting older, there is just SO many fun things to do!
* With increasing age also comes increasing independence... yesterday, for the first time, he went up and down the stairs by himself, without permission. We don't allow him to do that, and so far, he'd been really good about obeying... Scary that he decided to "test" this now. It is so hard to discipline your child when they are in the "exploratory" mode, and not seemingly defiant, but it could be so dangerous!!! At what age do we let him come and go upstairs/downstairs as he pleases? I don't know...

Finally, about Aidan...

Okay, I have been feeling increasingly guilty about not blogging much about Aidan. I do love him INTENSELY and am SO thankful he's in my life... I love cuddling with him, and even just watching him sleep. However, a newborn can't really do that much... I recently read an article in a parenting magazine that affirmed my feelings, stating that an almost 2 year old is at such an exciting stage; learning so many new things, beginning to really express affection, and busily exploring the world, that its quite natural to be a little more "infatuated" with the older child if they're this age; esp. as they do demand your attention so often! I am so blessed that God has given Aidan a pretty mellow temperment so that I can continue to interact so much with Caleb. Also, I'm sure there will come stages where the tide shifts.
Anyway... just wanted to journal about how much fun it is now that Aidan is starting to smile more and make cute happy noises! Nothing can melt my heart more! Or his daddy's heart...

cute "Caleb"isms

Just a couple of recent cute things Caleb is doing...
* He loves to watch Star Wars with Daddy. He will ask to watch it, and esp. likes "JarJar". He also called an empty paper towel tube a "light saber" all on his own in his play... Awesome!
* His way of asking to be carried is to say "I carry you?". How can one resist that?

Busy Weekend!

It was nice today to not do much, except the grocery store... We had a very busy last week and weekend!
On Saturday, Caleb and I met our friends Donna and Paul at California Adventure. (Weston spent the day with Aidan!) Donna's husband had to work and couldn't use the second part of his "twofer" pass, so I got to take advantage of it! Who's going to turn down Disneyland for free? Caleb had never done rides before, except a carousel... It was rainy as we entered the park, but thankfully cleared up for the rest of the day. We did the "kiddie" rides, and Caleb was pretty wary, but did okay. He even said "again" after the ladybug teacup ride, and "more" after the caterpillar train. We also did the big ferris wheel and their "Under the Sea" carousel, which he has learned to love. After lunch we watched the "Aladdin" play in an incredible theater; he was mesmerized!
We got home around 4:15, and then headed to Kristin Hartley's 3rd Birthday party. It was fun finally going to one of their parties and having a kid old enough to play on all their fun toys.
Sunday was Easter. My boys looked very handsome in their coordinating outfits! After church, we headed to Grandma Joy's for a fun afternoon of fellowship and food, plus the Laker Game. Caleb did really well in the egg hunt Grandma set up for him.
We still haven't found time to color our Easter Eggs... Good thing Caleb doesn't really know the difference...

Another Egg Hunt?

Today we enjoyed another Spring Party, this time with the Mom's Club. I joined this club for stay-at-home moms in North Fontana when Caleb was about 4 months old. We haven't attended many events, but I am so grateful for the playgroup we got going, and the babysitting coop. I have developed some neat relationships and am so thrilled that Caleb has friends his age. Anyway, today we had a potluck/egg hunt at one of the member's house (a beautiful house). Caleb especially loved playing in the backyard (with their basketball hoop, of course), until the storm rolled in.
The extra-fun part about the get-together was that Brandy and Hailey joined us, and will be joining the club also. Now that our kids are old enough to enjoy the activities offered, it will be fun to get more involved.
Tonight we are attending the 5:00 Good Friday service, and then I'm serving in the nursery for the 7:30 one.
Tomorrow, I get to take Caleb to California Disney!!! Donna Becker had a free pass, so we will get to experience it with her and Paul!!! How fun!

Oregon is too far away...

Last August, our friends; Scott and Sherrie Laffin, moved to Oregon to attend seminary... It's a good thing, but it's been hard to have them gone. Their daughter Kelsea is only 10 days older than Caleb, and they spent the first year of their life hanging out a lot... Plus, Sherrie just had another baby, Rusty, who was born just 5 days after Aidan. So our families mesh wonderfully, and we totally "get" what each other is going through... Plus, their parenting style is very similar, so it's been wonderful to bounce issues off each other...
All this to say that today we got to visit with them, and got to meet Rusty Josiah Laffin for the first time! What a cutie, with beautiful blue eyes! Caleb had a lot of fun playing with his "first love", although they definitely spur one another on to misbehave, esp. with silliness. We went out to lunch, and the kids played here while we made one year picture frames for the new babies, just as we did together for our firstborn...
My favorite moment with Caleb today came when we were pulling into the driveway, and Caleb was saying something that sounded an awful lot like "Shamu", and I'm thinking, "what is he talking about?" But sure enough, I finally spot a wooden wind decoration our neighbor has (I'd never really noticed it before) of a killer whale. Where did he learn about Shamu? Later I did remember that Garrett has a big stuffed Shamu that he saw on Monday, so that must be where it came from, but still, my kid is brillant...

Okay, later that night I told this story to Daddy. I guess he has pointed out this "Shamu" to Caleb before when they take out the trash together... so its not as amazing as I first thought. Oh well...

Kids Club at Ontario Mills

Every second Tuesday of the month, we try to make it to the Ontario Mills Free Kids Club. Today the performer, Mario, played native instruments such as drums, rattles, and flutes. He was good with the kids, and had a lot of audience participation. Caleb and I even got to shake a cool rattle during one song. After that, Caleb cracked me up by raising his hand when he asked for kids to do other things later during other songs. (He's never done that before, but I guess he got the idea today!) Aidan just slept or watched contentedly from his infant seat. What a trooper! I will comment thought, that travelling with two is a much bigger chore...

Friends are fun!

Today we went to Garrett and Danielle Ansiel's house for an Easter Party. We celebrated Christ's resurrection with a craft, an egg hunt, a yummy lunch, and the story of Easter. There were 10 kids (under 3) and 5 mommies there. It was a little chaotic, but fun! Caleb loved playing with the kids, and esp. eating the pizza lunch, and the cake afterwards. I was very proud of his behavior/attitude while we were there! Fun day!

Much better night...

Just so I don't remember it as being always as challenging as Friday night (see previous blog), let me write a quick note describing Saturday night:
- Aidan woke up once to eat at 4:30 and then we all got up for church at 7:30... So it wasn't that bad at all! We were so glad Caleb slept thru the night, we don't know what's been causing him (our Super Sleeper) to wake up so much recently...

Sleeping In...

Wanted to record a detailed night's sleep with Caleb and Aidan...
I slept in until 10:00, kind of... We went to bed at 12:30; Caleb woke up crying at 1:30, I got up to comfort him... Aidan woke up hungry at 3:00, I got up and fed him. Aidan woke up at 6:00, and Weston got up to feed him... Next Caleb woke up at 7:15 am, we let him in our bed to "snuggle", hoping he'd go back to sleep (which he didn't), Aidan woke up hungry again at 7:30, so I fed him and then pumped. Caleb watched Baby Einstein in our bed while Daddy still kinda slept. I climbed back in around 8:15 and enjoy a few more minutes of coziness, then I took Caleb downstairs for breakfast. After I turned another movie on for him (awful, i know, but I was so sleepy), I went back upstairs and fell back asleep from 9-10. Just a typical night/morning with 2 young kids (actually, its usually not this bad)...

Headed to Harvard?

Nothing too exciting today, except a fun trip to the park, and it was a beautiful day! There were many families flying kites and having picnics!
-Caleb is starting to sing some songs and it melts my heart! He has been able to sing part of "The Alphabet Song" for awhile now, and lately has added part of "Old MacDonald" and part of "Jesus Loves Me". He amazed me this morning when a song came on the CD we were listening to, and before it even started he said "shine" and pointed to the radio. It took me awhile to figure out what he meant, but then, sure enough, the song "This Little Light of Mine" came on. What a genius! I love when I figure out something he's saying (usually not too clearly) and am rewarded with this undescribable grin, since he's thrilled we're communicating! (or maybe he's just thinking, "duh, it's about time mom")
- He also has been learning some things from our bible stories... Yesterday when we were downstairs, I told him it was time to head up for a bible story and a nap, and he said, "David? Giant?" Wowzers! So far he can answer these questions pretty consistently... (they correspond to the toddler Bible we have been going through) - Who made you? God. What else did God make? Everything. Who built the boat? Noah. What did Noah put on the boat? Animals. Who was the baby God saved in the basket on the river? Moses. Who did David fight? Giant.

Caleb's First Easter Egg Hunt

Okay, one of the main reasons I finally conformed to the Myspace delirium is so that I would be more motivated/disciplined to journal about my amazing kids, and the experiences we have day in and day out. So here goes!

Today Caleb and I went to Heritage Park to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt and Potluck put on by my God's Moms Bible Study. It is pretty crazy how, as a parent, you get SO excited about the "firsts" in your kids' lives. He really wasn't old enough to do much more than stick a plastic egg in his mouth last year, or maybe throw it (he always has had quite the arm), but this year, he could hunt! There were 5 toddlers just about his age searching for 60 eggs (we each brought 12, so it was easy to do the math, I didn't actually count them), and yeah, I guess "searching" isn't really the right word... it was more like "stumbling upon". They were all pretty adorable, and Caleb did get the idea to pick up the egg... but he quickly also got the idea that there was candy in the egg... therefore it was much more fun to open the egg and dump the candy everywhere, than to put it in the basket and search for the next egg. Oh well, it's a start... All in all, it was a fun morning, even with several toddler meltdowns when he couldn't do exactly what he wanted in exactly his own way...