So I won't ever forget...

Caleb, you really do make me laugh every single day. Here are a few tidbits of things you have said or done lately that have made me laugh:

• I love how you say sunglasses. "Mommy, I need my funglasses!"
  
• You got your toy phone out the other day and called up your girlfriend Kate and said "Hey Kate! You gotta go potty?"
  
• I was making dinner the other night and told you that you would need to play by yourself in the living room or watch tv. As I was letting the water rise to a boil, I came and sat down next to you on the coach. You immediatly pushed me over and said "No Snuggle, Mommy! You go cook dinner!"
  
• You have a silly laugh that you do when you have forgotten to do something. For instance, last night you used your fingers instead of your spoon to eat your peas. When I told you to use your spoon, you did your silly laugh and said "Oh yeah!" with your hands out to your side. It is the same response every time and I love it!
  
• Sometimes your daddy and I will be talking at the dinner table and you will all of the sudden say "No talking Mommy! Listening ears!!" I think your daddy put you up to it, but he swears he didn't!
  
• You still love the trashman. He is the first person you thank God for every night when you say your prayers. (and you usually thank God for the trashman at least two or three times each night.)
  
• I love how you lay out all your animals across your bed every night. You are allowed to pick one out (this is after they started to keep you up at night, and when we asked you to go to sleep you said you couldn't because your animals were awake). After you pick out one animal, you put the rest in your chair and tell them to all snuggle with each other. (snuggling is your THING! You are very good at it!)


• Every red car you see is Ms. Melinda's car.


• You love to hide, but you always give yourself away. If you want to play hide and seek, you usually see your daddy and will yell out "Hide! hide!" Sometimes you hide somewhere, others you stand really still in the middle of the room with your eyes closed and your hands over your eyes. As soon as someone says "Where's Caleb?" You pop out and say "HEEEEEEYYYY!"


• I love to watch you dance! You have some great moves!


• The other day, you accidently put two legs in the same leg hole of your pants. You were very upset by it. (When i told you how to fix it, you did the silly laugh and said "oh yeah!")


• When you get very excited to tell someone something, your words just can't keep up with you. You can tell a whole story in about 10 seconds, but none of the words can be understood. But, you have the most excited look on your face and you will be pointing all around to tell us about the exciting thing that just happened.

I know there are so many other moments I could write about. I will have to just write them down as they happen because it really is every day that you say or do something that cracks me up. This post wouldn't be complete without the following picture that Ms. Nyssa sent to me from school. You were hot and sweaty, so your teachers spiked up your hair and wanted to take a picture. When they told you to smile, here was your response:

Letter Scavenger Hunt

During the summers, I get off work at noon. I love the Brenau Summer Fridays. It actually helps me feel as though I have a bit of a "summer break." This past Friday, Caleb and I went on a letter scavenger hunt through the mall. He rode in his stroller, I told him what letter to look for. When he found it, he would should out "There it is!" and I would take a picture of the letter. He LOVED this activity. (and now that I blog about it, I feel like a real "mom-blogger" and it makes me feel a little bit giddy.) He has loved looking through the pictures on my phone. Last week I saw a picture of "Alphabet Mystery Box" in one of my friend's photo album. Basically, there is a mat with every letter of the Alphabet and a box. Inside the box is a small toy/item that starts with every letter of the alphabet. The child reaches in a draws out a toy and then places the toy on the corresponding letter on the mat. I have decided (how's this for a "mom-blogger" activity??) to laminate each photo - although, I may take a few new ones so they won't be blurry - onto a mat of our own and create our own version of the Alphabet Mystery Box game. I think Caleb will totally dig it and feel some pride in knowing that he helped make the game! How is that for creativity from this working-mom?

Have I ever told you what a great stay at home mom I could be?? ;)

(Now, before I post I am saying a little prayer that blogger carries over the format I have posted my letters in. It looks great in Preview...but always looks different on my actual blog...here goes nothing...)

Glimpses of the Past

Since day one of starting my job at Brenau University, every now and then a smell, a picture or the distinct creak of the Alpha Chi steps will open a floodgate of memories of my time spent here as a student. As a part of my job of conducting summer camps, I have to do a walk-thru of each building on campus every year before the first camp starts. While a very tedious task, it is actually one of my favorite parts of working here. Why? Well, you will have to continue reading to find out.

I began conducting my walk-thrus this morning. Sometimes, I have to catch my breath or just laugh because if feels as if something out of a movie. Case in point, the long, currently empty and quiet (except for the aforementioned creaking) Alpha Chi front stairway that I walked down this morning. For just a brief moment while I was walking down the steps, the area transformed into a loud and crowded gathering point. I saw Kristen, holding our cordless telephone (not a cellphone!) in her hands, probably talking or singing. I saw Katie and Lindsay in their room at the top of the stairs...Katie with her LONG, flowing locks of blond hair. I could hear Eryn's voice in the background, and saw dried macaroni left randomly in the middle of the floor from her cooking. I also saw Emmie, probably playing some sort of a prank on someone. Most of all, that empty stairwell today was filled with laughter. It was never an easy task to walk up those stairs without stopping. There were usually a few sisters sitting on the top of the steps, and it was very hard to pass them without joining in on their conversation.

(one of the many random things you could find at the top of the stairs...)

(always something to do in the Alpha Chi House)

It's really funny that each place on this campus still smells the same. Yonah Hall still smells the same as it did the very first day I moved into Yonah 101 as a freshman. Not a horrible smell, but just a distinct smell that I cannot describe with words. I can't walk into Yonah 1st without thinking of the fun times I spent on that hall. Man, we sure were carefree back then! Strawberries lined the doors and walls along the hall...we called it the Strawberry Patch because so many of my hallmates joing the ZTA house that year. I can see myself rushing to dance class, having to pass Casey and Melissa's room on the way. Don't let those sweet innocent girls fool you. They were the number one reason that I would SKIP a ballet class! When I did skip ballet, they always had some sort of fun adventure or activity that I would much rather go on or be a part of. So. many. memories.

(porch time)

Many of the halls or areas on campus may look different now, but if I try really hard, I can see it...and it looks exactly the same as it did when I was here as a student. Every year when students move in or out of their dorm, I see my college friends. I see Karri and Amanda across campus...running towards me laughing. I hear Cessna calling my name (I should say nickname, that I still don't like!) from Crudup front porch. I see Laura sitting on the ZTA porch while I am out on the AXO porch, and I do believe we were attempting to have some sort of a conversation from right where we were. I see so many distinct memories that I will always treasure so dear to my heart, and I just hope that those students moving in or out will have similar memories and similar stories when they are my age.

Well, I must get back to work. More walk thru's to conduct. More memories that I am sure will come back to me and make me laugh this afternoon. I am so lucky to have such fond memories of my college days. I truly don't think you can get that at just any college....so thanks to all my "Brenau Girls" for giving me so many things to smile about every day when I "see" you at work!