Too smart....

Yes, I know. Bad blogger. But, I had a funny story from yesterday that I just had to post...

So Caleb has a magna doodle in the car that he loves to play with while I am driving. Lately, he has been very proud of his art work, saying "Mommy, look!" I always tell him that I can't turn around in the car and will have to look at it later. Apparently, that answer isn't good enough, so when he tells me to look at his masterpiece, I give a quick nod to the back and say "Wow! That looks great, Caleb!"

Yesterday on the way home it was no different. The conversation went a little like this:
Caleb: Look what I draw, Mommy!
Me: Wow! That is a great drawing Caleb!
Caleb (lets out a huge sigh): Ugh. Mommy, I didn't really draw anything!

Kid is too smart for his own good. And Mom is busted....

Update

Long time, no blog! I have no excuses. We have surely had lots of fun and exciting things happen, but I have just not sat down to write about them. I could break this post up into lots of many posts....but surely, with my blogging track record, you would be left with one post. SO, here goes. I have left you waiting long enough, now you will get to read an extremely long, hopefully not too boring, blog! :) Consider yourself warned, this is very much a stream of conscious blog. Not too much format, just listing some exciting memories that we have recently shared as a family!

First and foremost:
I have to start this blog post with a story about this sweet smiling face. We recently purchased new portable DVD players to go in our car for long trips. Caleb was told if he put his feet on them, they would be taken down until the next long car trip. Well, after the Disney trip, wouldn't you know, he put his foot on it. Several days later, he asked about them and we told him that he broke the rule so they had to be taken inside. The conversation that followed almost brought tears to our eyes:

Stephen: Does that make you sad that you can't watch tv in the car anymore?

Caleb: No.

Stephen: No? Well, it should make you sad. You broke a rule and now there is no more movie time in the car for a very long time.

Caleb: But, I like to be happy. I try to always be happy instead of sad. It makes me feel good.

My dear Caleb, I hope you will always keep that outlook in life. No matter what. And thank you for the reminder!

Disney:

I don't even know where to begin with describing our trip to Disney. I have been to Disney a few times before and had a wonderful time. I have to say I never expected this trip to be seriously one of the happiest times of my life. To see your child's eyes light up with excitement with they see the Castle or Mickey Mouse, in person, for the first time in their young life is just beyond what words can express.

Caleb loved every single aspect of the Magic Kingdom. When we walked into Hollywood Studios, he spotted some characters right away and began shouting "Hi!!! hi!!!! Hi Minnie Mouse!!!!" over and over and over again. So much excitement! Caleb has always been a happy little boy, but I have seriously never seen him smile as much as he did in Disney World. The parades were also a huge hit. He waved at all the characters and danced to the music as the parade passed by. I especially loved the Main Street Electrical Parade. How neat!

His favorite things about Disney were riding the tram to and from the parking lot, riding the monorail (what is it with the monorail and kids? Don't they all just love it?), the Dumbo ride, the magic carpet ride, and meeting the characters. He was a little timid at first when meeting the characters, but soon grew to love it.

One of my most favorite moments from the trip was a conversation I had with Caleb before going back to a park one night after his nap.

Me: Caleb, how about we go back to Disney and eat some....ICE CREAM!?!

Caleb (with a sad face): But, I allergic. I no can have ice cream.

Me: But, Caleb, we are in Disney. Mickey Mouse makes sure ALL of his friends can eat ice cream at Disney. He has SPECIAL ice cream made just for you!

Caleb (gasps with excitement): Really???

Me: YES!

Caleb: YAY!!!!!!!!! Let's go eat ICE CREAM!!! Let's go NOW!!

Seriously, for a mother of a child with food allergies, you do not realize what a big deal this is. What kid goes to Disney and can't eat ice cream? The folks at Disney are AMAZING when it comes to food allergies. They make sure all their guests are treated fair and are taken good care of. A chance to be like every other "normal" kid is well worth the money you shovel out for a trip to Disney!

The last night we were there, we went to a character dinner at Chef Mickey's. Again, this was another great dinner and they were awesome with Caleb's allergies. We got seated and the Chef came to our table to personally take Caleb on a tour of the buffet. For those of you who don't know, a buffet is NOT an ideal dinner for a person with food allergies. Think about it, the serving pieces get tossed back into the wrong dish, a guest drops a piece of cheese while making it's way to their plate and so on. For someone with severe allergies, a buffet is a part of their worst nightmare! BUT, not at Disney. As the Chef took us around, he pointed out all the foods Caleb could eat and what we should avoid. Once Caleb decided on his meal (oddly, his favorite thing on the buffet line was the vegetables!), the Chef wrote down what he wanted and then went to the kitchen and prepared the food personally for him on clean dishes, clean pots and pans and ruled out the possibility of any cross contamination!! He devoured his food. The Chef came to check on him no less than four times during the meal to see if it tasted good or if he needed anything else. He also brought him out another special bowl of ice cream and a cupcake made without nuts, eggs, wheat, or milk. (They keep these made for their gluten free guests.) Would you believe Caleb had the nerve to tell me that "These are even better than mommy's cupcakes?!!?" Geez! I lost a baking competition to a mouse! ;) They treated Caleb like a king and all the characters came to our table not once, but twice! They made Caleb laugh, they gave him hugs and high fives and they even danced and had everyone wave their napkins up over their heads. This meal was pricey, but probably the most memorable meal I have ever had! Look at the smiles on this child's face!!!

Trip to the Zoo and other fun things:

As if going to Disney wasn't enough, the weekend after we got back, we took an afternoon to go to Lake Lanier to the Arts and Craft Festival and Boat Show. Caleb had fun (and so did Daddy) getting on an off the big boats and yachts. That evening, we went to an outdoor restaurant on the lake and listened to some live music from the Brat Pak (80's tunes) and had a blast. They had a big sandy beach area, so Caleb played in there for a while.

The following weekend, we made a trip to Zoo Atlanta. Caleb said his favorite animals were the elephants. The Zoo was a lot of fun and came on the heels of a zoo learning theme at Caleb's daycare.

So, as you can see, it has been very busy in our home! We have had lots of good, quality family time. Caleb is growing so very fast. It is just such a bittersweet thing to watch. I tucked him in to bed the other night and realized that this, right this very moment, is such a wonderful moment and I am so very blessed to get to experience this stage of life. To have a young child and mold them and teach them new things every day. You can't get these moments back.

I will conclude with that. This blog post has already turned into a novel and I appreciate you if you made it this far! :) On a side note, be on the lookout. This blogger format is about to drive me batty. I think we will be "moving" to wordpress in the near future. I can't take these crazy formats and I know my blood pressure will rise again after I hit post and it looks funky and crazy and not like what my "preview" looks like. I will keep you updated and where you can find me. In the meantime, enjoy some time with your family and friends and savor every moment you have with them!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just a quick post this morning, but could someone please tell me how my baby is old enough to be doing this all on his own?

Seriously? Writing ALL by himself?! My goodness how does time go by so fast???

I hope you all have a happy Valentine's Day! Mine started out with a really cute three year old asking me to be his Valentine. Then, his Daddy also followed suit. It will be a great day!

So happy to be home!

Caleb has been full of one liners lately, so I just had to get them down in blog-form. By the way, hello everyone. Long time no blog. I blame our house flood, but in reality, that probably has nothing to do with it. We have moved back in, though. Now we are in the process of cleaning. And cleaning. And cleaning. Love the new flat un-textured ceilings. Hate the dust!

Anyways, here are a few one liners from Caleb:

Me: (As we are passing the Processing plant yesterday...and it smelled worse than normal) Ew. It stinks today!
Caleb: (He sniffs) EEEWWW! It IS stinky today. Does someone need to go potty??
A few minutes pass... Caleb: I think a train back there went potty. He made it stinky!

Explaining to Caleb that we get to bring Lucy home tonight, as she has still been at the condo because we are getting our stairs stained. Caleb: Yay! Lucy can come home now because it wont rain on her inside anymore!

The other day in the car, we heard a train's whistle. Caleb: Hurry Mommy! I need you to hurry so I can see that choo choo train! (as we were stopped still in traffic).

Every time we went to see progress on our house. Caleb "I like the new (fill in the blank)!" Literally everything he saw, new or old, he liked!

Caleb to me a little while back when I was wearing a vest with (fake, no worries, PETA) fur on it: Mommy, I like your shirt. You look just like a dog!!" (He was so proud, too!)

We had to get a shower curtain yesterday. As we passed a toy section, every item Caleb saw he wanted. (typical child! ) Well, he would make the same comment. "OHHHH, Mommy! I like that toy. I wish I could have it!" (emphasise the WISH part when reading!)

As a man with a white beard passed us the other day at Home Depot: Caleb: Mommy! Look it's Santa Claus! Here at Home Peepo!"

That is all you get for now. I REALLY need to get these down on my blog as soon as he says them. I always forget by the time I sit down to write!!

OH! How could I forget!? Caleb actually read his first sentence a couple weeks ago! He has been learning words. He loves to read his friend's names. Well, he kept talking about his teacher's dog the other day named Tucker. So I taught him how to spell it and then put some words together that I thought he might know. He read it. Here he is with his first sentence! :) I am so proud!

So very thankful

There have been some small moments lately that have made me just so thankful to me a mom. (Ok, so I am always thankful, but these moments have really stood out and I hope to remember them always)

Yesterday, Caleb's teachers decorated the classroom for Christmas. They put up white lights all over the room, along with ornaments and they were playing Christmas music. Stephen picked Caleb up from school and they were playing outside. Well, as soon as they got back inside, Caleb ran into his classroom, jumped up in the air and landed with his arms and legs spread wide apart. "Ta-da!!!!!! Christmas!!!" he proudly exclaimed. I think Little Buddy is excited for Christmas this year!

They also recently made Thanksgiving Handprints for an art project. They had to tell their teacher one thing they were thankful for. Out of everything he could pick, Caleb proudly told them he was thankful for Jesus. What a sweet little boy!

We took Caleb for his first ride on the Macy's Pink Pig. A huge Atlanta tradition. His face was lit up the entire time as he looked at everything we passed. I hope I will always remember the look of excitement and curiosity in his eyes! His favorite part was when the conductor said "All aboard!" He ran to the front seat to begin his trip! After the ride, we went to Chick Fil-a for lunch. I think he may have been even more thrilled with who we saw there - a Chick Fil-A cow, than the Pink Pig!

Sometimes, after I get him dressed in the morning, I will tell Caleb that he looks great. His response? "Whistle at me!!"

Caleb is still talking about the holes in our house and if I mistakenly say "Let's go home," he promptly corrects me and says "We no go home. We have holes in our house. We go to Grandadddy's House!" I think he is ready for the holes to be patched up so he can sleep in his own bed. (We are very very slowly making progress and hope to get a lot done this weekend!)

The small moments make mommy-hood so worth living!

Drying Out

Yep. We are drying out. For those of you who did not see on facebook, Stephen and I had a massive flood in our house. A connecting valve for a pipe under our guest bath sink gave our and the pipe began gushing out water...when we were not at home. It had to have leaked about 1000 gallons of water during the day. It was on the second floor of our house, so it flooded the upstairs hall, soaking into the carpet in every single room upstairs, except for our bed room. It also went down the steps and through the ceiling into our kitchen, living room and laundry area and half bath downstairs. In the end, we will have to replace the hardwoods, ceilings, carpets, flooring in both upstairs bathrooms, the vanity in the guest bath upstairs, baseboards up and down stairs and repaint most rooms downstairs and hall upstairs. We will also need a new couch, tv and some other small items will need to be replaced. Thankfully all of our sentimental items and pictures came out ok. The verdict is still out on the laptop that was sitting directly underneath one of the major leaky spots. Honestly, I think we are just a little scared to turn it on. Said laptop is the home to oh so many pictures and documents! Hopefully, Mr. IT Man (Stephen) can get it fixed, or at least recover the documents.

Not sure when we will be able to get back in our home. I am really hoping to be in there for Christmas, but even at that point not everything will be fixed.

Yes. It is a big pain. We do have good insurance and that is assuring. I hate being displaced from our home, especially during the holidays. However, I know it could be so much worse. The flood occurred on Wednesday, the same day I experienced my first flat tire. We were stressed and worried, but thankful our entire house was not destroyed. As we sat in our hotel room Thursday night, everything was put into perspective with one phone call. We learned some devastating news about a friend and member of our church who was killed riding his bicycle. He left behind a wife and two sweet children. We now keep that family in our prayers and hold on to each other a little tighter. We will also take a flood any day.

So, as we dry out, we still continue to count our blessings. This Thanksgiving, we may not have our home back together, but we still have the people in that home....all together, and that is what really matters the most.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Remember to count your blessings!

Happy Halloween - a couple days late!

Three is a very fun year for Halloween! Everything from pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving (ok, so he refused to touch the insides of the pumpkin for the most part. I finally convinced him at clean up time...), and of course, the trick or treating. He even wore his pirate hat the entire time! Caleb is typically not a fan of any type of hat for longer than 5 seconds!

Trick or treating was a lot of fun this year. Each house we approached, he would look for the "ring bell" and yell out "There is the ring bell!" when he would find it. He perfected his "tick or teat" and managed to score a bunch of candy, most of which he can't eat. Bummer! He doesn't seem to mind when we tell him he can't have something and we were sure to have a good stash of "Caleb-safe" candy on hand to help him re-fill his goodie bag.

I can't believe it is already November. We are in my favorite part of the year and it just seems to be flying by already! I want time to stand still. I want to see the Holidays this year through the eyes of a child. I want to soak each and every moment in and not pass days away without being appreciative for what I have. I think having a child makes this time of year so much more magical, and for that I am so very thankful!

Here are a few pictures from our fun Halloween! Happy November!